


But It's Not a Foursome

by imanerdybutch



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, AvaLance, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Crossover, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Interdimensional Extrapolator, Its Not A Spaceship, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Public Display of Affection, Romance, Sappy, Shower Sex, Strap-Ons, Sweet, The Waverider (DC's Legends of Tomorrow), magic gun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2020-09-25 01:08:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 53,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20368138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imanerdybutch/pseuds/imanerdybutch
Summary: Set somewhere in the not so distant future, Nicole Haught and Waverly Earp set out on an adventure one night and end up making some life changing decisions. Meanwhile, Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe are moving on from their time traveling superhero days, or are they?Armed with the proper resources and a little help from some old friends, the four women team up to save the world from impending doom or something like that.Oh, and there’s romance and soft moments too, of course.ORThe Wayhaught/Avalance cross over cannon/AU that no one asked for.





	1. Nice Night for a Ride

**Author's Note:**

> For time frame reference, its the end of S4 for Avalance and the end of S2 for Wayhaught.

It’s been a few months since the chaos has subsided. Wynonna has been busy sending revenants to hell. Purgatory is slowly getting back to a seemingly normal rhythm, as normal as it can be for a town overrun with demons and curses.

Nicole has never been this happy. Things with Waverly have settled down and they’re in a good place in their relationship. They make a great couple, which is pretty incredible considering everything they’ve been thru in the short time they’ve known each other. The week has finally ended and she can’t wait to get out to the homestead. She has a little surprise planned for her girlfriend. As she packs up her things to leave the sheriff’s office behind for a few days, she hopes that Waverly will be open to a break from this place.

She pulls up to the old farm house and parks the cruiser next to the little red jeep. She practically lives here. It feels more like her home than her apartment does. Waverly likes having her here and makes a fuse when Nicole has to leave for work or to get clean clothes or feed Calamity Jane, but it’s far too early for them to be living together. Nicole doesn’t want to make the same mistakes as her last relationship. They haven’t talked about it, but for now she wants to keep her own place.

Inside the farm house the sisters are arguing.

“I’m just saying you look tired Wynonna. Can’t you take the night off?” Waverly shouts into the next room. Her back is to the door, she doesn’t see Nicole slip in.

“I’m fine. I don’t need sleep. Naps are my bitch.” Wynonna shouts back.

Nicole slides up to Waverly, wrapping her arms around her waist. She whispers, “Hi cutie,” and kisses her cheek.

Waverly giggles, “Hi sweetie pie. How was your day?” Before Nicole can answer, she spins around in her arms and kisses her softly. They stare achingly into each other’s eyes. It’s as if they haven’t seen each other in years. They stay frozen like that for a minute, holding each other, no words needed.

Wynonna rushes into the room. “Haught pants, I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Hey Wynonna,” Nicole greets the older sister.

“Ok, you guys do that and I’ll go get the bike ready.” Wynonna is out the door in a flash.

“What is she doing now?” Waverly asks.

“Baby, I’ve got a little surprise. I thought we’d take an overnight trip. I booked us a room at the Green Arrow Spa over in Haven for the night. It’s less than an hour’s drive from here. Wynonna’s gonna let us borrow the motorcycle.” Waverly is usually the planner, but Nicole hopes she will go along with it. “I know you like to be in charge. I really wanted to do something nice for you, for us. It’s been so crazy. I wanted to spend some time alone with you.” Still holding Waverly, she bends down and kisses her. She’s prepared to do some persuading if needed. She knows Waverly doesn’t like to leave Wynonna alone.

Waverly breaks free from Nicole’s arms and paces the floor. “Oh wow, well I’ll need to pack and who’s gonna look after Wynonna?" She stops dead. “Wait, you can ride a motorcycle?”

Nicole is relieved at the response. “Well, it’s just one night. She’s having the boys over for poker anyway. You know how that always ends. You won’t need much in the way of clothes. And, Yes, I can. Does this mean you’re ok with it?” She sits down at the kitchen table and looks up at Waverly flashing a grin and then pleading eyes.

Waverly can’t resist that look. “Well, you _are_ being very sweet. And a spa sounds romantic,” She slides onto Nicole’s lap, wraps her arms around her girlfriend’s neck, and looks deep into her eyes as they kiss again.

Nicole runs a hand up Waverly’s thigh and places the other on the small of her back pulling her in, deepening the kiss. Sudden intense desire has her momentarily regretting the plans. It would be so easy to carry Waverly up to bed right now, but she’s already paid for the room. Besides, they’ll have all night to enjoy each other.

The door flings open and Wynonna appears once again. “Still at it I see. Have you told her Haught? Or have you just been in here making out this whole time? You’d better get moving before it gets too late.”

+++++++++++++

After much reassurance from Wynonna that she will be fine, and a few panicked moments over the amount of clothing and accessories Waverly is allowed to take, the pair is finally ready to go. Nicole slips on the borrowed leather jacket and gloves which brings a smile to Waverly’s lips. She loves Nicole in uniform, but the smell of the leather and the way it looks on Nicole…she can’t help but whisper _damn_.

Wynonna hands Waverly a helmet. She protests that it will mess up her hair. “Baby girl, you have to wear it. I won’t have my little sisters brains splattered across the pavement if tater Haught here wrecks my bike. Besides it’s the only way to talk to each other.” She taps the side of the black helmet, “These babies are wired for sound.”

“Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence Wynonna.” Nicole huffs as she straddles the bike. Her long legs keep it steady as she guides Waverly onto the back. “Waves, you’ll have to hold on to me pretty tight. Wrap your arms around my waist and balance with your hips. Relax and just let me do all of the work.”

“Mmm, my kind of ride,” Waverly purrs. “Sounds like fun.” She winks at Wynonna as she pulls the helmet on.

“Ok you two, save it for later. And be careful,” Wynonna yells over her shoulder as she heads back to the house.

Nicole starts the bike. It rumbles under them as she pulls the throttle a few times. She puts her own helmet on and they head out. She learned to ride a motorcycle while living in Nevada. She’s taken this one out a few times in the recent weeks to get familiar with it. Everything she knows about riding came back to her quickly. She is feeling confident as they ease onto the main road. The bike hums as she shifts the gears. They reach a good cruising speed and she relaxes a little.

They ride in silence for a few miles, enjoying the scenery. Waverly seems comfortable, her arms wrapped around Nicole as instructed. Riding has always been a rush. Nicole was excited when Wynonna agreed to let her take the bike. It’s the best way she has found to clear her mind. Traveling fast with the wind at you, nothing between you and the road ahead, it’s practically spiritual. This break will be just what they need after the year they’ve all had. It’s a chance to relax and just connect with the woman she loves.

“This is nice, kind of thrilling really.” Waverly breaks the quiet. She’s been deep in thought. Recalling everything that has happened and how remarkable it is to be in a relationship with an amazing woman. She never imagined love could be like this.

“I’m kind of surprised you agreed to such a spur of the moment thing.” Nicole realizes that she probably shouldn’t point that out to her girlfriend, she may change her mind if she thinks about Wynonna all alone on the homestead. She envy’s their closeness but sometimes it can get in the way of their own relationship. The sisters are close now, but she knows it wasn’t always that way for them. They spent years apart after things went to shit for the family. And she really is grateful that Waverly has someone to watch over her when Nicole can’t be there.

“I mean, why not. You obviously planned this in advance. The Green Arrow Spa sounds like an interesting place, and what better way to spend a night away with my honey.”

“That’s my girl.”

“I had no idea you liked motorcycles, at least you have that in common with Wynonna.”

“Yeah, Shae and I used to ride sometimes.” Waverly relaxes her grip for just a second. “Baby, don’t be jealous. We were never as close as you and I are. You’re my world.”

“Oh I know Nicole. It was just a surprise. You never mentioned you were married. I was shocked when she showed up at the hospital after Mercedes…well the Widow, bit you. I looked like an idiot. And you were all in a comma and nearly dead. I had to make conversation with her. And she was hot! I mean…come on!”

“I know baby.” She lightly touches Waverly’s hand. “I’m really sorry you had to go thru that.” She chuckles at the sarcasm and hopes Waverly doesn’t hear it. Honestly, she shivers at the thought of her ex-wife and her girlfriend in the same room together. It’s probably a good thing that she was unconscious. One wrong word and either of them could go ballistic. She apparently has a thing for fiery women, she chuckles to herself.

“I can’t be mad at you _mon amour_.” Waverly smirks. She knows that speaking French will drive Nicole crazy. “_Tu es mon doux bébé_.”

“Hey now, don’t start that Waves,” She grins and gives Waverly’s hand a squeeze. “You don’t want me distracted while I’m driving.”

“So I shouldn’t tell you that I can’t wait to get you_ au lit et te faire l’amour_.” She slides a hand down and unzips Nicole’s jeans. She hears Nicole take a deep breath. She whispers, just loud enough to be heard over the buzz of the engine, “_Je veux te faire mouiller_.” The steady vibration of the bike and being so close to her girlfriend has her feeling wicked. “How much longer ‘til we get there _mon amour_?”

“I think I’m already there.” Nicole gulps. She can feel the heat from Waverly’s strategically placed hand. She tries to move it away while doing her best to stay focused on the road.

“Don’t you need both hands to steer, or something?” Waverly giggles. She’s pleased with herself for making her girlfriend uncomfortable.

“Yes I do, which is why you need to behave. We don’t have much farther to go.”

Ignoring Nicole’s protests, she purrs. “Good. _Parce que je veux te sentir en moi_.”

“Please baby,” The tables have turned. It’s usually Waverly begging and Nicole in the driver’s seat, at least when it comes to sex.

“Do you wanna know what I said?” She grins and giggles.

“I understood bed, make love, wet and in you. That’s pretty much all I needed to hear.” Nicole can feel her own warmth spreading under Waverly’s hand. The last time Waverly spoke French to her, they had to duck into her boss’s office. It was an intense twenty minutes.

“Mm, that’s my girl, _belle et intelligente_.” She pushes her hand farther down into Nicole’s jeans, if only she weren’t wearing panties. Pressing her fingers in, applying just enough pressure, she can feel the wetness already. Nicole rocks forward in response. She’s always amazed at how easy it is to get her going. Just a few words, a touch, and she’s there. She loves that about her girlfriend.

“You are so bad.” Nicole groans. She wants to keep going but knows she has to pull back in order to balance the bike and prevent a crash. Wynonna would kill her if anything happened to Waverly or her bike.

“I am…so…very…very…bad.” Waverly beams devilishly and removes her hand. “I should be punished.”

Nicole breathes a quick sigh of relief when she sees the sign for the hotel up ahead. It’s a good thing. She couldn’t have taken much more teasing. Waverly loves pushing her to the limits and judging by the mood she’s in tonight, it’s going to get steamy.

++++++++++++

They arrive at the hotel. Nicole parks the bike and gathers herself before helping Waverly jump off. They secure their things and make their way inside. Neither woman has spoken, both are flushed, their faces moist from wearing the hot helmets and Waverly’s antics.

They stand close to each other while the clerk checks them in. He is saying something about elevators and breakfast and wakeup calls, but Waverly isn’t paying attention. She hasn’t taken her eyes off of Nicole for one second. She loves looking at her, she loves how strikingly beautiful she is. Wynonna calls it googly eyes, but she calls it pure love. It’s easy being with her, the opposite of how it was with Champ, and for more than just the obvious reasons. She’s never felt this way about anyone else. They are intense and explosive together, but at the same time, gentle and passionate.

She smiles, thinking about their first time, she was so nervous. Nicole was loving and sweet with her from the start. Waverly didn’t know what she was doing, she was a bit scared, but Nicole was patient. Tonight, however, she’s feeling very adventuress, she can hardly wait to find out where this night might go.

“Are you hungry, baby? Should we grab something to eat before we head up to the room?” Nicole looks down at her girlfriend who suddenly looks so small standing beside her. “Waves…everything ok?”

“Hmm, yes, food sounds great.”

“Where were you just now? You looked like you were deep in thought.”

“Ah yeah, I was just thinking about the first time we…you know,” she blushes and grins.

“Hmm, well I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I like it.” Nicole winks.

+++++++++++++

The hotel’s restaurant isn’t crowded. They pick a corner booth towards the back of the room so they can sit next to each other without being too obvious. Being out is not new for Nicole, but Waverly hasn’t had much experience being in a relationship with a woman. They have been relatively safe in public in Purgatory, but this town is new to them and they don’t know anything about it or the people around them.

The waiter takes their order and brings their drinks to the table. Waverly is content, sitting next to the love of her life. She puts her hand on Nicole’s thigh. She feels a spark as her mind wanders to their bike ride.

They glance at each other and Nicole scans the room making sure no one is watching them. Once she is sure they are safe, she leans in to quickly kiss Waverly. She smiles and softly touches her cheek.

“Why did you keep your marriage a secret from me?” Waverly has been wondering about it for a while but there never seemed to be a good time to bring it up. Not that a romantic getaway was the perfect time either.

“I knew you weren’t done with that,” Nicole drops her head. “It wasn’t on purpose. I kind of forgot about it to be honest.”

“I’m not mad about it…any more. I mean Shae told me that you got married in a fever, but then it cooled down.”

“It wasn’t one of my best decisions. We barely knew each other. We were good for a while. I was busy trying to make it thru the academy and Shae was just finishing up med school. We hardly saw each other. I guess that worked for us until it didn’t. After I graduated, I got a job offer to come back to Purgatory and she wanted to stay in Nevada, so we split up. It was all very businesslike, unemotional…you know.”

“Did you love her?”

“Yes, I mean I think so. I felt love for her but I don’t think either of us was truly in love.”

“And it’s different with us?”

“Baby, I can say without a doubt, that I have never ever felt this way about anyone in my entire life. I would do anything for you. Don’t you know that?”

“I do. I guess I’m just feeling a little insecure. I mean you could have any woman you wanted, go anywhere you wanted. I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck here with me because I won’t leave Wynonna.”

She touches Waverly’s face. “There isn’t anyone else in this whole world I would rather be with, and no other place I’d rather be than right here with you.” She softly kisses Waverly. They look into each other’s eyes as they both smile.

They’re interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat and look up to see a tall blonde woman standing at their table.

“Good evening ladies, how’s everything so far?”

“It’s great, we’re great…um thanks.” Waverly pulls her hand away from its resting place on her girlfriend’s thigh.

“Good. Is this your first time here? Can I get you anything? Are you staying the night with us?”

“Um, yeah it’s our first time. It’s seems like a lovely place.” Nicole tells her.

“Well I’m Ava.” She extends a hand towards Nicole.

“I’m Nicole and this is Waverly.” She replies, shaking Ava’s hand.

“My wife, Sara, and I own the place. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to let us know.” Ava nods and quickly walks away.

Waverly gives Nicole a sideways glance, raising her eyebrows in surprise and mouths the word _wife_. They giggle together.

+++++++++++++

They finished their meal and the waiter is clearing their table. “Can I get you ladies anything else?”

“No, we're good thanks.” Nicole tells him.

“Very good, I’ll be right back with your check.”

As he is walking away, a shorter blonde woman approaches. “Bring their check to me please, Gary.”

“Yes Captain…I mean…boss, as you wish.” He replies.

Waverly looks up, “Is there something wrong?”

“No not at all. Sorry to startle you. I’m Sara. You met my wife Ava earlier. We’ve sort of been watching you. I promise we’re not stalkers or anything like that. We couldn’t help but notice how sweet you two are together. Kind of reminds us of ourselves, anyway we don’t get many other lesbian couples in here…long story short, dinner is on us.”

“That’s sweet but you really don’t need to…” Waverly says.

“Never mind, it’s done.” Sara insists.

“Well that is very kind, thank you.” Nicole smiles and glances over at her girlfriend.

Ava approaches the table and slides an arm around Sara’s shoulder. “I see you’ve met Nicole and Waverly, babe. Did Sara tell you we think you are the cutest couple ever?”

“Well, I didn’t say that exactly. They probably already think we’re creepy or something.”

“Oh babe, only you are. I’m perfect, remember?” Ava nudges Sara just hard enough to knock her slightly off balance.

“Alright, let’s let these lovely ladies get on with their evening, unless you’d like to have a night cap with us?”

“Um…well, it’s up to you sweetie.” Waverly nods at Nicole.

Hoping she is reading her girlfriend correctly, “Sure we’d love too.” Nicole answers for them.

“That’s the spirit.” Sara cheers. “We’ve got a few things to wrap up here. Come up to the penthouse in about half an hour. The code for the elevator is 2827272. If you can’t remember that, it’s just our names – avasara, get it?” She grins proudly.


	2. It's Not A Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole stop in for drinks with their new friends Sara and Ava. The conversation is interesting. The stories are strange but mostly true. The evening turns very steamy for one of the couples.

Their room is nice enough. It has all of the comforts you would expect, a king sized bed and a nice big bathroom. Nicole drops their bags on the floor. Waverly flops onto the bed in a heap, “I’m so tired. I just wanna rest here for a minute.”

“But no falling asleep Waves, we said we would have a drink with our hosts.”

“I know. I really like them. They seem so…”

“Normal…?”

“Yeah and kind...”

Nicole drops down on the bed beside her, “I’ve wanted to be alone with you all day. We won’t stay long.” She rolls on her side propping her head up with her hand so she can look at her girlfriend. She touches her face and they smile at each other. “We still need to finish what you started earlier.”

Waverly pulls her down into a kiss. “I didn’t start it. You made me sit with my arms and legs wrapped around you, on a giant vibrator!”

They laugh together.

“Well, when you put it that way,” Nicole whispers between kisses, “I guess it _is_ kind of my fault.” She pulls Waverly closer and kisses her softly. They melt into each other as their kisses become more urgent. Waverly’s fingers are tangled in her hair. A familiar ache creeps up and once again Nicole has to stop herself, always the responsible one. “We have to stop,” trying to catch her breath, “or we’ll never leave the room.” She pulls away and sits up, patting at her hair and straightening her cloths.

“Mmm….Nooo.” Waverly protests.

“Come on baby. They gave us free food. It wouldn’t be polite if we didn’t go.”

“You’re right, but I want one more minute with you _mon amour_.” Waverly straddles Nicole’s lap and grins as she kisses her again.

+++++++++++++

Once the timeline was back in order, the Time Bureau shut down, an unexpected consequence of fixing all of the anachronisms, which meant that they would no longer have financial support to keep the Waverider running and Ava would lose her job as Director of the Bureau.

The rest of the team decided to go their separate ways. Ava wanted a normal life in a normal town and Sara wanted to give it to her. They landed in Haven, pooled their money and bought the hotel. Located on a main route, it does a fair amount of business. It should keep them busy for the foreseeable future. So far, everything has been perfect; the people are nice, the weather is nice, totally normal.

“Ava, where are the wine glasses?” Sara calls out to the empty room. They’ve recently moved in and things are still in boxes.

Ava appears in the doorway, she’s changed out of her work clothes into something more comfortable. Her hair is down; she usually wears it in a tight bun while she’s working. They have employees working at the hotel but they both like to have a hand in the daily business. “What, babe?”

Sara stops to admire her beautiful wife. “You look comfy.” She wraps her arms around the taller woman’s waist. “Mm and you smell good too,” she tells her as they kiss. She feels very lucky to have Ava considering everything they have endured. “Wine glasses?”

“I think I saw them over there,” she points towards a box in the corner of the kitchen. “Do you think they’ll come? They’re so young. I hope they don’t think it was strange to invite them.”

“Found’em,” Sara pulls the glasses from their hiding place. “I‘m sure they won’t think it’s strange. But hey, if they don’t show, more wine for us.” She flashes a grin as she pops the cork and pours out four glasses.

Ava knows that having a normal life might eventually be boring for Sara. After all, they were time travelling super heroes. There were always new adventures and lots of excitement. She hopes that having a social life will help fill some of that void for both of them. “Babe, aren’t you supposed to let the wine breath before you pour?”

“How should I know,” she shrugs. “My drink of choice is scotch. This stuff is for lightweights.” She winks and hands Ava a glass.

“Well let’s not scare them off with your drinking skills just yet.”

The doorbell rings and Sara lets their guests in, “Hey, I see you found us. Come on in.”

They all head into the kitchen to join Ava. “Welcome ladies, glad you decided to come. We were worried you might’ve been creeped out by our invitation.”

“Oh no, this is the least creepy thing that’s happened to us, trust me,” Waverly snorts. She looks over at Nicole who is still trying to fix her hair after Waverly’s fingers had their way with it.

“Really? I sense a story or two in there.” Sara hands them each a glass. “Let’s go and sit in the other room. That sounds so weird, the other room,” she chuckles.

Ava sits with her legs curled up beside Sara. She sees the look of confusion on their guests faces, “Ah…what Sara means is, well, we’re still getting used to living here. We haven’t been here that long as you can see by the unpacked boxes everywhere.” She motions toward the room, the wine sloshing from her glass.

“Careful my love, do I have to cut you off before you even get started.” Sara smiles and kisses her. Looking over at their guests, she asks, “Where are you two from?”

“We live in Purgatory. It’s just down the road a few miles from here.” Nicole replies.

Sara frowns. “Wow, is that really the name of the town?”

Waverly pulls Nicole’s hand onto her lap, “Yeah, it’s a unique place. My family is from there and my sister is there, so its home. We’re really enjoying your hotel. Our room is so nice; we especially plan to try out the nice big bed.”

“Waves…” Nicole blushes.

“What, we’re in a hotel. People have sex in hotels, that’s why they have big beds.” She looks at Sara, “Am I right?”

“You guys are so cute.” Sara chuckles. “How long have you been together?”

“Umm, it’s been about six months, hasn’t it baby?” Waverly replies. “We haven’t exactly had a normal start, what with the curse and all.” Nicole nudges her. “I mean…umm.”

“A curse?” Ava’s eyes widen, “I love it. Tell us more.”

“Yeah, my sister’s great-great granddaddy was cursed, it got passed down thru the generations…it’s been a whole thing.” Waverly realizes how weird it sounds, saying it out loud to strangers. “It’s not really that big of a deal.” She keeps talking. “Then Nicole got poisoned by an undead Widow and almost died. And then I was possessed for a little while, but yeah, we are both fine now.”

Nicole squeezes her girlfriend’s hand. “Nice Waves.”

“Now that’s not something you hear about every day.” Ava is intrigued.

“Well,” Sara smiles. “I see your curse, poisoning and possession and raise you a – I’m a former assassin, I’ve been brought back from the dead, almost lost my soul to a demon twice – AND -- Ava is a clone from the future!”

Waverly nearly chokes on her mouthful of wine. “A clone...from the future!?”

“Sara, it’s not a competition and thanks.” Ava swats at her.

“Yeah, but we’re not supposed to talk about it.” Pressing a hand to the side of her face pretending to whisper, “She doesn’t like the 'C' word.”

“But, like, how are you from the future?” Waverly crinkles up her nose. “Wait; are you a witch…or an alien? Because I wouldn’t be surprised, we’re outside the ghost river triangle, but you just never know. You know?”

Nicole is speechless, “What is going on? This is the strangest conversation I’ve ever heard, and that’s after we’ve literally just put a demon in the ground.”

The four women look at each other and burst out laughing.

“I think I need something stronger than wine for this,” Sara hops up. “Nicole, give me a hand in the kitchen?”

Nicole kisses Waverly’s forehead as she gets up from her seat, “Be good, baby.” She can hear the questions flying at Ava as she leaves the room.

In the kitchen, Sara pulls down a bottle of Jack Daniel's from the cupboard and hunts for more glasses, “Sounds like you two have been thru some heavy stuff. I guess we have a lot more in common than we thought.” She pours out two shots.

“I don’t know what I would do without Waverly. It’s been one hell of a ride, that’s for sure. She hasn’t told you the best part. Her sister has a magic six shooter that sends undead souls back to hell when she shoots them with it.”

“A magic gun, now that’s something to drink to.” They clink glasses and down the shots. Sara pours out two more and they down those too. She grabs the bottle and extra glasses as they head back in to join their partners.

“Babe, Waverly’s sister has a magic gun.” Ava curls up next to Sara as they settle in.

“I know. We were just talking about it.” Sara wraps an arm around Ava. “Seems it sends creatures to hell. We could’ve used that a few times, huh?”

“Oh but it only works for Wynonna. She’s the only one that can shoot it since she’s the rightful heir. It’s bonded to her.” Waverly quickly surveys the room, “I like what you’ve done with this space so far, maybe a plant over in that corner by the windows?”

“Ok baby, enough about us,” Nicole pats her on the leg and pulls her in closer. “Let’s talk about something else?” She looks over at the older couple. “How did you guys meet?”

“We worked together, well, not at first. At first we didn’t even like each other, but once we stared actually working together, I eventually wore her down.” Sara winks at Ava.

“You wore me down? I was trying to get your attention for weeks.” Ava protests.

“We had our hands kind of full don’t you think. If I remember correctly, you tried to arrest me at one point.”

“We’ve had our ups and downs. And Ok, yes, you were charming, but dense. We won’t talk about the time you broke up with me.”

“I didn’t want you to be in danger, I just came back from the demon realm, I was death, remember? Besides, you broke up with me too.”

“But then you rescued me from hell and the rest is history.”

Sara pours them each a shot and toasts, “Here’s to finding love, even in hell.”

“When did you get married?” Waverly’s face puckers as she drinks the whiskey.

“We’re technically not married, not legally. Sara doesn’t think we need a piece of paper to prove our commitment to each other.”

“I thought you agreed with me?”

“I do, I just like to give you a hard time about it.” Ava winks and kisses her. “What about you two?” She looks over at the younger couple. “Any marriage plans?”

“Umm, no, we haven’t really talked about it. I mean I would love to be married someday.”

Nicole rests her head on Waverly’s, “Hmm, yes me too.”

“We should let our guests get back to their night, babe. Nicole looks about ready to fall asleep.” Ava nods at Sara.

“It’s just been a long day and I’m not a big drinker.” Nicole slurs her last word.

“Yeah, she came right from work and surprised me with this, such a sweetie.” Waverly brushes a loose hair from Nicole’s face.

“What kind of work do you do?” Sara asks, not wanting the evening to end yet.

“My baby is a deputy sheriff.” Waverly answers for her. “If you think she’s cute now, you should see her in uniform.” Nicole blushes again. Waverly continues, “But we really should be going, we have to head back in the morning.”

They all rise to say good night.

“This was a pleasure. We’ll have to do it again sometime?” Ava suggests.

“Since we kept you from your evening, why don’t you stay another day? We can have lunch and finish our crazy stories tomorrow, then see where the day takes us?” Sara stands beside Ava, her arm wrapped around her wife’s waist.

“We have work and I have to get back to my sister. She’s trouble waiting to happen when she’s home alone.” Waverly smiles at them both.

“Ok, well think about it, it would be on us of course, I insist.” Sara stops them before they can object.

“That’s very sweet of you both, thank you. We really enjoyed meeting you and thank you again for dinner.” Waverly hugs Ava, which then sets off the chain reaction of hugs all around.

Sara sees them to the door and waves as they get in the elevator.

Ava grabs glasses to take into the kitchen, “That was fun. I like them, they’re so damn cute.”

“And totally normal, just like us,” Sara grins.

+++++++++++++

Back in their room, it’s late and they are both tired. “Such an interesting couple, huh baby?” Waverly slouches on to the bed and grabs her phone. “Gonna check on Nonna.”

“I need a shower…” Nicole strips off her jeans and disappears into the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind her. She can hear Waverly’s voice in the next room but can’t make out any words. She’s too tired to think right now.

The shower is an elaborate system of heads and nozzles pointed at each other. It takes her a second to figure out which knobs and levers do what, but as soon as the warm soothing water hits her body the stress starts to melt away. Water is coming from every direction, it feels amazing. She could stay there forever. She takes a deep breath as the room fills with steam. She stretches out her arms and places her hands on the cool wall. She arches her back and lets the warm pulsating water soothe her muscles.

Waverly slips into the shower and puts her cool hands on Nicole’s back then slides them up to her shoulders. “Hey baby, room from one more in here?” she whispers. She leaves a trail of kisses across Nicole’s shoulders, pressing her cool body against her, wrapping her arms around her.

Nicole leans into the embrace and reaches behind to pull her closer, savoring Waverly’s soft skin against her own. Waverly’s hands are on her breasts. Her nipples swell and harden under Waverly’s touch. She shivers. The hair on the back of her neck stands up. The heat between her legs grows.

Waverly’s hands move down Nicole’s stomach lingering at the soft triangle of hair. Her breathing is shallow. Her hands are tentative. They haven’t done anything like this before. Nicole is usually the one in control. She slides a finger down into Nicole’s folds and finds sweet wetness. They have both wanted…needed this all day. Waverly has been imagining this ever since Nicole surprised her earlier. At last they are truly alone, no sister or ginger cat to interrupt them.

Nicole groans and turns her head to kiss Waverly. Their lips meet, tongues exploring. Waverly breaks the kiss and gently pushes Nicole to the wall bending her forward; she finds her slit again from behind and slips a finger inside. Nicole is surprised for a second but then responds by widening her legs for her girlfriend. Two fingers inside now and they are both rocking into it. 

Waverly starts off slowing; making sure Nicole is ok with this position. She can feel the walls close in around her fingers, sucking them in farther as she thrusts quicker. One hand on Nicole’s waist for leverage, she pumps the other in rhythm to Nicole’s movements.

She can tell Nicole is on the edge; her own heat surges up in response. She pulls dripping wet fingers out as Nicole spins around, picks her up, and kisses her. Waverly wraps her legs around Nicole’s waste as their lips meet again.

Nicole gently lowers her down without breaking the kiss. Waverly’s hands are in her wet hair. They continue kissing, the warm water relaxing them both.

They part and Nicole whispers, “You are amazing.”

Waverly responds.” I love you.”

Nicole kisses her again then drops to her knees bringing one of Waverly’s legs up to rest on her shoulder. She breathes in, intoxicated by her scent, she softly kisses the inside of Waverly’s thigh. She hears her girlfriend moan. She tastes her, dipping her tongue into the wetness, gently sucking on the ripe bud. She lets her tongue explore before she slides a finger inside while working her tongue on Waverly’s clit.

Waverly is on fire, with the right amount of pressure, it takes no time at all to bring her to orgasm. Nicole knows how far she can go, sometimes she stops on purpose to prolong it, to drive Waverly crazy, but tonight she has to have her right now. She pushes her over the edge and holds her steady as Waverly’s body shudders under her touch. She smiles, looking up; she waits for Waverly to recover. She kisses her thigh and runs her tongue back in, taking another taste, wanting more. 

Waverly stops her with a soft touch to the shoulder, “No, come here. I’m not done with you.”


	3. Is This a Dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly enjoy their time together. Sara and Ava invite them on a picnic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff and happiness...just because.

Nicole sleepily opens her eyes. The sun is rudely peeking thru the blinds at just the right angle. She sighs contently, looking over at her girlfriend cuddled up next to her. She loves sleeping with her arms wrapped around Waverly, although they didn’t get much sleep last night. Waverly was insatiable. She didn’t know whether it was the motorcycle ride, the whiskey, the shower, or the fact that they were not interrupted, but she couldn’t seem to get enough. Not that Nicole was complaining, after all, that was the primary motivation for bringing her here in the first place.

She lightly kisses Waverly’s bare shoulder, not wanting to disturb her just yet, and realizes they are both naked. Another first, they usually throw on a t-shirt or something to sleep in, just in case Wynonna barges in on them in the morning, its only happened just about every time.

She lies still, listening to Waverly breathing softly, relishing the moment. They always seem to be moving so fast, whether for work or hunting demons or following leads. There are days she wishes they could just relax, take the time to appreciate their life together and not be in such a rush. Not that she isn't ambitious, they both __are__ actually. Nicole wants to be sheriff one day. Waverly is still finding herself, but whatever she wants, Nicole has no doubt she will get it. 

As much as she wants this to last forever, she knows they have to get up soon. She kisses Waverly’s shoulder again, Waverly stirs from her peaceful sleep. Nicole whispers, “Morning baby,” and tightens her arms around her girlfriend.

“Mm…morning,” Waverly mumbles and pulls the covers up for more warmth. She slowly opens sleepy eyes, “What time is it?” She smiles, realizing that she’s in the warm embrace of Nicole's loving arms, their skin touching, she feels so safe and loved in that moment.

“Judging from the sun, maybe eight or eight-thirty?”

“Ugh-too early, let’s stay in bed all day.” She suggests, rolling over to face Nicole, she kisses her gently. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you last night, because we were busy,” she grins and drops her eyes in a moment of humility, “but Wynonna said we should stay another day. She’ll look in on ginger cat for you.”

Nicole rolls her body on top of Waverly and positions her elbows to support her own weight as to not crush her. She gently kisses her lips. “Another day away with my sweet luscious baby…that works for me.”

They hear a knock at the door.

“Really?!” Waverly grunts in frustration.

They hear a voice from the hallway, “Room service.”

They both jump out of bed. Waverly disappears into the bathroom.

Grabbing a complementary robe from a hook in the closet, Nicole approaches the door and looks thru the peephole before she opens it. “Ah, hi, yeah we didn’t order any room service.”

“Yes Miss, compliments of Ava and Sara. They thought you might be hungry this morning.” The man grins and raises an eyebrow. “May I?” He motions to the cart as he rolls it into the room. “Let’s just set you up over here by the window. There’s a beautiful view of the courtyard below.” He clears their personal items from the table near the window and places a small vase of fresh flowers in the center, then transfers plates and the rest of the contents of the cart onto the table. “There we go.” He smiles at Nicole, “My name is Gary, please let me know if you need anything else.”

“Weren’t you our waiter last night?” Nicole asks, smiling back at him. She thought he looked familiar.

“Yes, I actually oversee the dining room, among other things. Director Sharpe…Ava, asked that I personally attended to you both during your stay with us.”

“Well, that is very kind of you Gary. Can you let her know that we accept their invitation to stay another day?” Nicole moves towards the table filled with food, the smell of bacon permeates the room. She hesitates, “Is this pork or turkey?”

“Turkey, but I also brought a vegan plate for Miss Waverly.” He winks as he rolls the empty cart towards the door. “Please enjoy and don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything else.”

Nicole thanks him as she closes the door behind him. The smell of food makes her realize how hungry she is, the kind of hunger one has after a hearty work-out. Some mornings she likes to go for a run if the weather is nice enough, another way to clear her head. No need for it today though, she chuckles to herself. Last night would definitely count as vigorous exercise, if nothing else.

Waverly emerges from the bathroom, freshly showered, still wrapped in a towel. “This is so nice,” she slides into a chair and grabs the plate marked vegan. “I can’t believe this, it’s almost like a dream.”

“We’re dreaming it together baby,” Nicole sits down and grabs a plate. “I could see us living like this forever, couldn’t you?

+++++++++++++

The breakfast crowd has cleared out and Ava is busy helping with the clean up in the dining room. She and Sara have faith in their staff even though they’ve only known them a short time, but they still like to be involved. After all, they did sink most of their money into buying the place and their future depends on its success.

She was pleasantly surprised when Sara agreed to settle in here. They have a chance to make a real life together, without life-threatening situations and constant danger looming over them. She’s counting on this new adventure to help them both put their unusual past behind them. Neither knows what the future may hold for them, but they do know they will face it together.

The hotel is average sized with about 115 rooms. Their customer base seems to be pretty tame, so far they haven’t had any issues. They live on the top floor, Sara likes to call it the penthouse but its really just regular rooms that were converted into two large suites by the previous owners. They have their own pool, hot tub, and small gym, and of course, all of the privacy they need.

She let Sara pick the name, and Sara let her hire Gary Green, a former employee of the Time Bureau, to help them keep things in order. He and Ava had a good working relationship at the bureau. He has a good heart and would do anything for her. Sara is annoyed by him but makes allowances for Ava’s sake. 

She finds Sara in the managers office located behind the main check-in counter, her feet propped up on the desk, flipping a butter knife in her hand. “Planning to butter someone to death?” Ava asks, eyebrows raised.

Sara flashes her trademark mischievous grin. “Watch this. Gonna use it to hit that spider.” She flicks her wrists, releasing the blade, it spins end over end, crashing into the wall as it makes a dull thunk and lands on the floor. The spider, remaining in tack, scurries quickly behind a filing cabinet. “Damn it, missed him!”

“Losing your touch, Lance?” Ava taunts her. She sits on the edge of the desk in front of Sara.

“I certainly hope not. Besides, if that had been a real knife I wouldn't have missed. And it’s your fault if I’m getting soft, all this playing house nonsense.” Her grin and raised eyebrows tell Ava that she is only teasing. Sara does want this domestic life with Ava, it’s all she has ever wanted. She feared her fate would be a life of constant turmoil, but then she found Ava, and everything fell into place. She’s not about to go back to being her former self, a cold-hearted lethal assassin. Her life is better with Ava in it.

“It’s a good thing I know you’re kidding, otherwise that spider isn’t the only thing you should be worried about.”

Sara drops her feet to the floor and sits up in the chair, pulling Ava’s legs closer to her, she puts her hands on Ava’s thighs. There is already a height difference between them, but with Ava sitting on the desk, it makes it more apparent. Sara looks up at her. “Oh yeah, like I couldn’t take you, __Director Sharpe__.” She mocks as she stands up, draping her arms on Ava’s shoulders and wrapping her hands around the back of Ava’s neck. With the height difference gone, they can look at each other eye to eye.

Ava responds by pulling Sara in closer and wrapping her arms around the shorter woman's waist. They pause as if they are in a standoff, each waiting for the other to make the first move, anticipating an all out war.

“I should take you down right now.” Ava breaks the silence first.

“Go ahead and try.” Sara taunts her. She loves their banter. They both know they would never intentionally hurt each other, but the thought of being physical with Ava is always thrilling. They spar together in the gym sometimes, but she’s faster and more skilled in martial arts and she’s cautious not to injure Ava if things start to get rough. She would never want Ava to know that, it would hurt her feelings, she’s sure of it.

They press their foreheads together and smile. Sara pulls Ava to her and their lips meet. Softness turns to intensity quickly as Ava stands, spinning them both around, she lifts Sara up on the desk. There is an underlying heat between them that can be tapped into quickly when the mood strikes either of them, almost like an on/off switch. Sara is pulling at Ava’s suit coat. Ava’s hands are on Sara’s face. Their tongues probing each others mouth, kissing passionately.

They’re so distracted with each other that they barely hear Gary knocking on the door. He knocks again, a little louder this time. He knows not to barge in, he’s already made that mistake once. His eyes can never unsee what he saw that day, but he’s learned his lesson. “Director Sharpe? Captain Lance?" He knocks a third time just for good measure.

Sara breaks away first. “Damn it, Gary.” They separate as Sara jumps off the desk and both women compose themselves. It wouldn't have been the first time they had sex in that office. In fact, Sara has a little contest going in her head to see how many different places they can do it without getting caught, so far, they’re up to five.

Ava moves to open the door once they are both decent. “What is it, Gary?”

Gary shoves his head thru the doorway. “Sorry for the interruption, but your guests are waiting for you in the lobby, Miss Haught and Miss Earp.”

“Show them in,” Ava tells him. “And Gary, what did I tell you about calling us by our first names from now on? We aren't Director and Captain anymore.”

Gary pushes the rest of his body into the room which annoys Sara. “Forgive me D…Ava, it’s just that old habits are hard to break.”

“We know,” Sara grunts as she slumps back down into her chair and props her feet up on the desk again. “We all need to move on, leave the past behind us. The future is now. You need to get with the program.”

“Good speech, babe.” Ava frowns at her. Sensitivity isn't one of Sara’s strongest traits, at least not with other people. She’s always soft and caring when it comes to Ava. Looking at Gary she tells him, “It’s alright, just try to remember next time.”

“I will.” He reassures them. He spots the knife on the floor and moves to pick it up as he exists the room.

“Babe, I know he isn't your favorite person, but he means well and he’s really good with the guests.”

Sara nods in agreement. She will learn to like him because that will please Ava.

Nicole and Waverly appear in the doorway. The four women greet and hug each other.

Ava directs them to sit. “How are you guys, sleep well? Was breakfast good? I hope Gary didn’t wake you up too early?

Waverly smiles at them both, “Breakfast was wonderful, thank you again. We feel like we’re in a dream.”

Sara chimes in, “We’re so glad you decided to stay another day. I was thinking we could take the bikes out to the lake for the afternoon, have a late lunch. Its just a few miles back into the woods, very private. We don’t let regular guest back there for safety reasons. There’s even a little beach and a fire pit. I saw your Harley in the parking lot. It is yours, right?”

Nicole nods, “Yes, well…its Wynonna’s. She let me borrow it.”

“A picnic sounds fun.” Waverly accepts for both of them.

“Well then its settled.” Ava stands to leave the room. “I’ll have Gary set us up with some sandwiches and drinks. Let me change clothes and we’ll meet you outside in a few minutes.”

“I’ll go up to the room and grab our helmets,” Nicole stands to leave as well.

Sara stops her, “Nah, you wont need them. We aren't going that far and we won’t be going very fast. We could actually just walk, but I like to find a reason to ride mine. There’s not much need to leave the grounds, so I usually have fun riding around on our private roads. And it keeps me out of trouble. I tend to go a little too fast. Been pulled over a few times. Ava doesn’t appreciate that very much.”


	4. A Secret Among Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their new found friendship blossoms but Sara has a secret and she calls on Nicole to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting good now.

Ava and Waverly decided to walk to the lake while Sara and Nicole drive the motorcycles. It’s a short hike, the sun is warm and the sky is crystal clear. The two women are enjoying the fresh air and the chance to chat with each other.

Ava thinks Waverly seems very sweet, she suspects they might have some things in common. She hasn’t had much opportunity to make friends with other women since the Legends disbanded. She started friendships with Nora and Mona and they would have been really good friends had they been able to continue working together.

Waverly struggles a little to keep up with the longer strides Ava is taking, it’s as if she’s walking next to Nicole. “I hope I didn’t offend you with my questions about being a clone.”

Ava notices the shorter woman trying to keep pace and she slows a little. “No, you didn’t offend me at all.”

“It was just curiosity.” Waverly explains. “I’m fascinated. I love to learn about new things and, I’m mean, what’s more exciting than meeting someone from the future. ”

Ava stops in the middle of the trail. Waverly looks so sincere. She feels like she can open up to her. “I’ve struggled with it, to be honest. It hit me pretty hard. I had no idea, Sara discovered it by accident. One day I’m me…you know, and the next I find out that I was fabricated in a lab. My childhood memories were all made up, even the people I thought were my parents are fake. Turns out they were paid actors. Everything I knew about myself was a lie.” She turns and starts up the trail once again. “ I lost my way for a little while. I didn’t know what to do, what to think, or how to feel about it. Sara saved me and our relationship. She showed me that it didn’t matter to her, and that she loves who I am right now, nothing else is important. That’s what keeps me going.”

Waverly nods, “I think we’re both lucky to have special people in our lives. I know Nicole loves me with all of her heart. She always tries to keep me safe, and she respects me. She believes in me. She would do anything for me.”

Ava nods in agreement, “I see the way you two look at each other. What you have is very real. Relationships can be difficult even without all of the extra nonsense we’ve had to deal with.”

They walk in silence for a little while.

Ava speaks first. “Tell me about your sister. Wynonna, right?”

+++++++++++++

Nicole follows Sara along the narrow wooded lane. They’ve barely been on the bikes for ten minutes when the trees part up ahead and the lake appears. It looks so peaceful and calm, more like a painting than a reality.

They roll to a stop and dismount their bikes.

"This is really amazing.” Nicole marvels, looking out over the landscape.

Sara admires Nicole’s bike. “That’s a 1200 Stage 1 Screamin’ Eagle, right?”

Nicole nods, “Yeah, it’s Wynonna’s baby. Sometimes I think she cares more about that bike than anything else, except Waverly, of course.”

“I’m glad we have a few minutes alone. Let’s walk, I don’t want anyone else to hear this.” Nicole looks concerned, she nods and falls into stride beside Sara as she continues, “Its a very long story, and I will tell you about it at some point, but Ava is in danger. She doesn't know, I haven't told her yet, but I could use your help.”

“Yeah, sure, anything you need Sara.” Nicole assures her.

“I know you’re a cop and it sounds like you can handle yourself under pressure. I’m guessing you’re good with a firearm and can hold your own in a fight. It probably won’t come down to that. I just need an extra set of eyes right now. It’s not immediate danger, but someone is looking for her and if they find her, they’ll try to take her away. I’m not about to let that happen.” Sara stops and faces Nicole. “But I need your word that you won’t tell anyone else yet, not even Waverly”

Nicole looks straight into Sara’s eyes, “That might be a little tough. She can always tell if I’m hiding something, but I’ll do my best. I’ve got your back, whatever you need from me.” She pats Sara on the shoulder for reassurance.

Sara seems relieved. “Thanks, I know we hardly know each other but I have a good feeling about you both. I feel like I can trust you. I really appreciate it.”

“Appreciate what?” Ava asks as she and Waverly walk up to them.

“Nicole volunteered to chop up some wood for the fire-pit.” Sara smiles at Ava, then looks at Nicole, “The axe should be over there,” pointing in the general direction of a large pile of logs.

“I’ll come help, baby.” Waverly exclaims.

“You mean, you’ll watch,” Nicole winks and kisses her as they wander off together.

+++++++++++++

_(Flashback to several months ago. Sara prepares the Waverider for it’s last voyage before they shut it down for good.)_

“Gideon, chart a course for the headquarters. It’s time to retire the ship.”

“Yes, Captain,” the familiar AI voice replies.

“Its been a pleasure working with you Gideon. I think I’ll miss you, but I won’t miss your interruptions during dinner and…”

“...Your private time with Director Sharpe?” Gideon responds.

“Cheeky bot!” Sara smiles, but can’t help feeling sad. This is a bittersweet ending to a long journey, one that has changed her life forever.

“One more thing Captain Lance, Director Hunter left me instructions to give you this message in the event this scenario should present itself.”

“Scenario,” Sara frowns, “What the hell does that mean?”

A holographic image of Rip Hunter appears as the message plays.

\-- Captain Lance…Sara…If you are receiving this message, you and Ava are in grave danger. In the year 2219 the Time Masters make a catastrophic mistake causing a series of events that eventually destroys all of humanity and all known copies of Ava along with them. Your Ava is the only one that remains and the only one who can save them. They will hunt her down, take her prisoner, and slowly extract her genetically perfect DNA in an attempt to recover humanity as they know it. I had hoped future history would change and this event would never happen, but I’m afraid we are too late. This scenario is inevitable. I’ve made every attempt to hide her from these monsters, which is why I sent her 200 years into the past, but make no mistake, they will eventually find her. You must be prepared, you must not let them have her. If they cannot find an alternate solution to their problem their future will continue to be doomed and the Ava you know and love will be destroyed for nothing. --

The message sputters and disappears.

Sara sits in shock, her heart pounds loudly in her ears. She stares at the emptiness in front of her. She takes a moment then instinctively knows what she has to do. “Gideon, there’s been a change of plans.”

+++++++++++++

It’s been a week since Nicole and Waverly came back from their romantic weekend in Haven. They’ve already made plans to go back and both are excited to visit their new friends again. This time they’re staying for an entire week.

The kitchen at the farmhouse is a disaster, dirty pans and dishes stacked up waiting to be cleaned. Waverly has been in an especially good mood, busy meal prepping for Wynonna. The hard part is done, and at least Wynonna won’t starve to death, or worse, just drink her dinner instead.

Nicole has managed to keep Sara’s secret, but only because Waverly has been so preoccupied. She hates keeping secretes but she promised Sara and she hates breaking a promise just as much. She’s hoping to find out more from Sara when they get back to the hotel in a few days. In the mean time, she plans to keep Waverly as busy as possible.

She sits at the kitchen table watching Waverly move about the room, finishing up what ever last minute tasks were on her to-do list. She appreciates the fact that Waverly is slightly more domestic than she is. They don’t really have defined roles, but Waverly has a natural talent for being nurturing. Just one of the many things Nicole loves about her.

Waverly has been talking to her.

“Baby…Nicole…?” Waverly touches her arm, “Are you listening to me?”

“Huh, what…sorry Waves. I must of zoned out for a minute. What were you saying?”

“Don’t tell me you’re bored with me already?” Waverly pretends to be offended as she smiles and sits down on Nicole’s lap. Pulling Nicole’s arms around her waist, she says, “I was just asking if you thought it was strange that we hit it off so well with Sara and Ava. Does it feel a little like it was planned, or am I just being paranoid?”

Nicole loves it when Waverly sits on her lap, loves being close to her. She pulls Waverly’s hair back exposing her neck and places soft kisses right below her ear. She replies in between kisses, “I think that they really genuinely like us. I think we were probably in the right place at the right time. It was probably fate. I don’t think we should question it, we should just go with it.”

“Really?” Waverly jumps up, “Because I feel like something isn’t right.” Nicole reaches out to pull her back down but Waverly leaves the room and quickly reappears holding a map. “I was going thru some of my old research and I found this.” She spreads the map out on the table. “The hotel should be right here,” she points, “and the lake should be right about here, but there’s no lake on this map. And the hotel isn’t listed on any registry anywhere. How did you even find it?”

Nicole pauses to think. She’d made the plans so long ago that it slipped her mind. “I think I heard about it on the radio. They gave a phone number, I called it right away. Now that I think about it, it must have been Gary that I talked to, I thought I recognized his voice.” She knows if Waverly continues asking questions, she may be forced to reveal Sara’s secret. “Let’s not worry about this now, baby. We can ask all the questions we want when we see them.” She pulls Waverly close and resumes kissing her neck.

“If I didn’t know better, I would swear you’re trying to distract me.” Waverly smiles.

“Uh huh…is it working?” Nicole presses her lips to Waverly’s ear and then brushes her tongue over it lightly, breathing softly, sending chill’s thru Waverly’s body. She runs her tongue down to the base of Waverly’s neck, and pauses there to kiss her soft skin. Unbuttoning Waverly’s shirt and letting if fall to the floor, she leaves a trail of kisses across Waverly’s shoulder as she reaches around to unhook her bra.

Waverly stops her as she cups her hands to Nicole’s face and pulls her in, pausing to gaze into Nicole’s eyes before kissing her again. “You win, baby. The only thing I want to think about right now is being with you.”

Their embrace tightens as their lips meet again.

Nicole looks deep into Waverly’s eyes and tells her, “I love you so much, Waverly.”

Waverly whispers, “I love you too. Take me to bed, baby.”

Nicole picks her up and carries her upstairs.


	5. Ava Finds Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara can't keep the secret from Ava any longer.

Ray and Nora have been living in their apartment near D.C. since the Legends split. They keep in contact with Sara via video chat, something Gideon set up for them. “Hi Sara, how are things going?” Ray looks concerned, “Sara, are you sure you want to deal with this by yourself? We can come out there. I can set up a lab on the ship, Gideon would be of great use to me, and at least if we’re there, Nora and I can help keep you both safe.”

“No, we’re good for now. The incantation Nora taught Gary worked, we’ll have help here on the ground as soon as I fill them in about what’s going on. I think it’s better that we’re not all together, in case something bad does happen, we won’t all be in the same place at the same time.”

Nora moves into view on Sara’s screen, “I’m glad the spell worked. If they answered the call for help, that means at least one of them should have powers. And Ava, have you told her yet?”

Sara drops her eyes, “No, but I will soon. I don’t want to keep if from her any longer, I just hope she understands. We just need a little more time.”

“Ava loves you, Sara. She’ll understand why you didn’t tell her right away.” Nora tries to reassure her.

Ray moves behind Nora, “The ship I’m designing is almost ready for a trial flight. I used the same technology as my Exosuit. Once it’s fully functional we can use it to travel without tipping off the Time Masters. I’m sure they can monitor the activity of the _Waverider_ but they won’t have a clue this new ship even exists.”

“I wonder if keeping the _Waverider_ close to us was a wise choice?” Sara questions.

“We need that technology if we ever want to time travel again, it was built in the future, it’s the only thing I have to model the new ship after.” Ray assures her. “And as long as you keep the _Waverider_ locked down and fully cloaked, no one should be able to find it.”

“Thanks Ray,” Sara smiles “I really appreciate both of you helping me with this. I can’t even think about losing Ava. I need to protect her, especially if these Time Masters are as awful as Rip says they are.”

“Sara, you and Ava are our family,” Nora’s voice cracks, “We would do anything for you guys. Just please be careful and stay safe.”

Ray nods in agreement, “I’ll figure this out Sara, you have my word. Gideon…”

“Yes Doctor Palmer?”

“Please alert me if you detect any unusual time line blips, we need to monitor any activity.”

“Yes Doctor Palmer, consider it done.”

“Thank you.” Still sounding concerned, he says, “We’re here Sara, the comms are open if you need us.”

Sara smiles, “Thanks guys, we’ll talk again soon.”

The video feed ends.

Sara sits down in the same leather chair she has sat in so many times before. She spent years captaining this ship. Their adventures were never dull, sometimes they screwed things up and had to fix their mistakes, sometimes it was for the better. This time someone else has made the mess. She knows they can fix it, eliminate the danger of losing Ava, as soon as they can time travel safely. The waiting is tough but she believes in Ray. She needs to focus on keeping Ava hidden and safe for now.

“Gideon…”

“Yes Captain Lance?”

“Remember when I said never tell me the odds?”

“Yes Captain.”

“What are the odds we survive this scenario?”

“I’m afraid I do not have enough information to formulate a logical outcome, Captain. However, based on your historical success rate, I would say the odds are very good.”

“I hope you’re right, Gideon.”

“So do I Captain.”

Sara opens the cargo bay door and exists the _Waverider_. Only she and Gary know where the ship is, but that will change soon enough, she plans to tell Ava tonight.

+++++++++++++

Sara finds Gary in the large service kitchen finishing preparations for the dinner service.

“Hi Sara, how are Ray and Nora?” he asks.

“Good, everyone is good. Have you seen Ava?” she asks tentatively. She’s not looking forward to their imminent conversation, or to ruining their evening.

“She’s gone upstairs for the night, I was just about to bring your dinner up. I think she has something romantic planned, she asked for a nice bottle of wine and no interruptions for the night.” He grins.

“That’s nice, but I may be sleeping on the couch after I tell her…”

Gary’s eyes widen, “Oh no, you’re telling her tonight? Alone? Are you sure that’s wise?”

“Well, no, but what choice do I have. Nicole and Waverly are due back here tomorrow. I’ve already mentioned something, so the cat will be out of the bag soon enough. It’s better she hear it from me, isn't it?” She pours a small glass of the wine Gary picked out for them, “she’ll understand, she has to,” and drinks it down in one gulp.

Gary sighs and then let’s out a little laugh, “I don’t envy you right now, not that I…oh never mind.” He pushes the food cart to the service elevator and hits the button. They both enter and the doors close as the car begins to move.

“Are we all set for tomorrow?” Sara looks at Gary.

“Yes, the extra penthouse rooms have been cleaned and all is in order for our guests.”

“I’ve gotta hand it to you Gary, you’ve made the transition from Time Bureau agent to hotel manager look pretty damn easy. And I’m grateful that you were willing to help me, and that you’ve managed to keep our secret this long.”

“I think you know that Director Sharpe means a lot to me. I’ve also grown fond of you, Sara.”

The elevator doors open and they move out into the hallway. Sara pats Gary on the back as she opens the door to their suite, “Thanks man.” She winks and smiles at him.

Inside, the room is full of lit candles, soft music is playing in the background. Gary quickly deposits their meal and excuses himself.

Sara calls out, “Aves, where are you?”

“Are we alone?” Ava answers from the other room.

“Yes, what is…?” Before Sara can finish her thought, Ava walks in wearing a full length purple silk negligee. “Holy hell, babe!” Sara is pleasantly surprised as Ava bites her bottom lip and moves towards her. “Wait, did I forget our anniversary or something?”

Ava looks deflated, “No you jerk, can’t we just have a romantic evening for no reason?”

Sara flashes her grin, “Shit, sorry. All right, go back out and come back in again. I can do better.”

Ava pouts, “No, the moment is gone now.”

Sara grabs her into an embrace and kisses her. “Would it help at all if I said you look beautiful?”

“Maybe a little.” Ava slides her hands around Sara’s neck.

Kissing her again, Sara tells her, “and that I love you for doing this.” She pulls Ava in closer and they start to slow dance.

As they move, Ava whispers, “You are one smooth charmer, Lance.”

They kiss tenderly as they sway to the soft music. Sara was already regretting what she has to do tonight, her news will surely kill the mood that Ava has so lovingly created. Maybe it can wait until morning, but she knows that it can’t, it has to be now.

With her hands on Ava’s face, she looks her directly in the eyes, “Ava, I have to tell you something.”

Ava smiles at her, “Okay, but I should tell you that I’m going commando under this thing.”

Sara feels an ache in the pit of her stomach. Why tonight, why did she have to wait until tonight. Her back is against the wall figuratively, it has to be now. “Shit, shit, shit, Aves you are so incredible, which is why I have to tell you this now before we go any farther.”

“What’s going on Sara?” Ava looks at her, the softness in her face has been replaced with a look of concern.

“Let’s sit down.” Sara pulls her down onto the sofa and holds her hand. “Before I say anything else, please know that I love you more than anything else in this world or any other world. I need to tell you that Rip left a message with Gideon before he…you know.”

“Blew himself up to save you and the Legends?” Ava interjects.

“Yeah. The message said that in the year 2219, all of humanity is destroyed and that the Time Masters will come looking for you because they will need your perfect DNA to rebuild the human race. Rip sent you 200 years into the past for a reason, he knew he needed to hide you from them. He said that if they take you, you will be their prisoner and that they will basically drain you slowly until there is nothing left”

“Okay, so we just tell them no, right?” Ava pats Sara on the shoulder.

“Ava, I don’t think it will be that simple. Rip called them monsters. We don’t know what we’re dealing with and I’m not about to take them on alone. Which is why, and please forgive me for this, but I have been keeping the _Waverider_ here. This whole hotel thing has been a cover to keep you safe. We’re in a temporal blind spot right now. Ray and Nora and Gary are all in on it. We’ve been working together for months. And I didn’t tell you because I wanted to keep you safe. I can’t lose you. I’m so sorry I kept it from you. Please don’t be mad.”

Ava stands and moves to the table where she pours a glass of wine and drinks it. She sits down, “That is a lot of information to unpack.” She pours out a second glass and drinks it down too.

Sara moves to her, tears streaming down her face, she pleads, “Please tell me you aren’t mad at me?”

Ava looks up and pulls her close, “Oh babe, come here, “ She wraps her arms around Sara’s waist. “The fearless Miss Lance is crying?” She reaches up to wipe the tears away. “I’m not mad at you. I know that everything you do is because you love me.”

“But I lied about why we’re here…”

“Not to mention, you stole government property.” Ava jokingly scolds her.

“Well, let’s say I borrowed it. Besides, it’s not like anyone would miss it now that the entire program is shut down.

“None of that makes me happy, but I understand. Who’s to say I wouldn't have done the same thing if I were in your position.”

“You are amazing.” Sara hugs her and kisses her softly. She’s surprised by Ava’s response and even more surprised at her own, the stress of the secret was weighing heavily on her. Once she was finally able to tell the truth, the flood gates opened. She’s relieved that it went as well as it did.

“So, what’s the plan?” Ava asks, as she pours them both a glass of wine.

“Well, so far, the plan is to hide out here in the blind spot until Ray builds us a new ship so we can travel to the future and find out who and what we’re dealing with. We can’t use the _Waverider_ for that, but we can use Gideon and all of it’s on-board technology. And, worst case, it doubles as an impenetrable fortress if we would ever get attacked."

Ava seems to be over the initial shock. “So why tell me now. Did something happen?”

Sara looks worried again. “No, look, I know I should have told you right from the beginning, I was being selfish, ya know. I just wanted us to be happy and to feel normal for just a little while. Ray found this place for us and he and Gary helped me get you here…”

Ava gently touches a finger to Sara’s lips, “Babe, really it’s okay. I want to be a part of the team now that you’ve told me, that’s all.”

Sara frowns and looks quizzically at Ava, “How long have you know?”

“A few weeks.” Ava smiles. “Gary was so excited about learning to cast spells.” 

Sara raises her fist in the air, “Dammit Gary!”

Ava chuckles as she stands and pulls Sara close, “Let’s not talk about this any more, I have other things on my mind right now.”


	6. That's What Friends Are For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly make themselves at home. Sara calls on an old friend for some help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song referenced in this chapter is She Keeps Me Warm, by Mary Lambert (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhqH-r7Xj0E)
> 
> This is the playlist I listen to while writing. (music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbhnIb22NUTPkgG0AYvOPGvruAey2Cj4H)

Waverly opens her eyes and fists the bonus blanket as she rolls over and gropes the bed in search of Nicole, but doesn't find her. They arrived at the hotel late the night before and spent most of the evening talking with Sara and Ava. The whole situation is awful and she and Nicole want to help in any way they can. But right now, she smells the scent of strawberry and vanilla in the air. She’s hopeful that Nicole is making her famous vegan pancakes for breakfast.

She climbs out of bed, reluctant to leave the warmth, hunger urging her on, and pads out to the living area. Their suite on the top floor has a separate entrance from the hall and their own private bathroom. The shared living room and kitchen area are flanked by their suite on one side and Sara and Ava’s on the other. They’ve been instructed to make themselves at home. There’s an exquisite view from the floor length windows onto the courtyard and water garden below. Guests can take their meals in the outdoor dining area or stroll thru the gardens at their leisure. It really is a shame this is all just a cover-up, a safe way to hide from whatever evil awaits them. Under different circumstances, this would be an amazing place to live.

She follows the sound of soft music playing and finds Nicole standing near the large island that sits in the middle of the kitchen, she’s holding a large bowl, busily whisking up some batter. She walks up from behind and wraps her arms around Nicole, nuzzling her neck, “Morning baby, is that what I think it is?” She asks as she dabs her finger into what she hopes is strawberry compote.

Nicole beams, “It is, but be careful, it’s probably still really hot.” Her heart beat quickens at the sensation of her girlfriends body pressed against her.

Waverly sucks the sweet treat from her finger. Nicole is actually really good in the kitchen even though it’s Waverly who is usually the one cooking. She gives Nicole a sly glance as she asks, “You know what else is really hot?” She takes the whisk and licks off some of the batter. She sets the bowl down, sliding into Nicole’s arms, she whispers, “You cooking breakfast for me,” as she softly brushes her lips against Nicole’s cheek.

Nicole pulls her close and their lips touch. “Mm, you taste good baby. Did you sleep okay?”

“I did, but I cant help feeling bad for Sara and Ava. They’ve been thru so much already, this has to be hard for them.”

“I know, but they’re both really strong and they have support, and now they have us to help too.” Nicole assures her.

“It’s amazing how far Sara is willing to go to keep Ava safe. They have such an incredible bond.”

“They do, and you know I would do the same for you if we were ever in this position.” Nicole tears up as she says, “I love you so much it hurts sometimes. I can’t imagine life without you.”

Waverly wipes her tear, “Baby, I love you more than you will ever know, and I love how well you take care of me. I’m not going anywhere. I will always be with you.”

Their lips met again as they embrace, and without even thinking, they begin to slow dance to the song playing in the background.

_ “She says I smell like safety and home_

_ I named both of her eyes _

_ Forever and please don’t go”_

Holding each other as they dance, Nicole whispers, “And as long as you want me, I will be by your side.” She finds the waistband of Waverly’s pajama pants and slips her hands inside to rest on Waverly’s bare bottom as they kiss.

_ “I can’t change/Even if I tried/Even if I wanted to_

_ I can’t change/Even if I tried/Even if I wanted to_

_ My love my love my love my love_

_ She keeps me warm/She keeps me warm”_

Waverly runs her hands up under Nicole’s tank top, caressing her stomach before moving to her muscular back. Their kisses are long and deep, tongues exploring, hands moving over each other. They’re completely unaware of the world around them.

Ava enters the room and before she can make a sound Sara is in the background calling out, “Something smells good in here. What are we…” She runs into Ava who has stopped abruptly, “hav…ing…?”

Ava grins, “Well we know what they’re having.”

Nicole and Waverly quickly separate as they divert their eyes. Waverly clears her throat nervously as Nicole grabs the bowl of batter and moves to the hot griddle.

Waverly tries to compose herself. “So sorry…we were just…um…Nicole is making her famous vegan pancakes.”

Sara slides onto one of the stools at the island and props her arms against the surface, “Well I have to say, your preparation method is impressive.”

Nicole blushes as the batter sizzles on the hot griddle, “We’re so sorry, we didn’t mean to get…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Ava slides onto the stool next to Sara and continues, “I think it’s great. You two are great and we’re fine with it. We’re bound to have a few awkward moments, living in such close quarters together. Trust me, we have far more pressing things to worry about than if we’ve walked in on a private moment. To be honest, it will probably happen again.” Ava puts her arm around the back of Sara’s stool.

Sara grins. “Yeah, you haven’t lived until Gary walks in on you in the middle of…”

“Babe,” Ava stops her, “Let’s not go there, I can’t keep reliving it.”

“Anyway,” Nicole flips the pancakes and grabs a plate, “We’re here and ready to help in any way we can.”

Waverly agrees, “Yes, and I’d love to see your spaceship.”

“Timeship,” Sara corrects her.

“Right,” Waverly continues, “I was thinking. You said that this guy, Rip, had your supercomputer erase Ava’s files, but as we all know, nothing is ever truly gone. There has to be a digital footprint somewhere. If we had those files, wouldn't that help us understand why they’re making clones in the future?”

“That’s a good point,” Ava agrees. “We would need to hack into the Time Bureau servers. If they weren’t destroyed after the agency shut down, they could have been re-purposed, or just moved to storage. We would need an expert hacker to pull that off.”

Nicole slides a giant plate of pancakes into the middle of the counter, “Get’em while there hot everyone.”

Sara stacks food on her plate, “I think I might know someone who can help us with that.”

~~~~~~~

Waverly and Nicole hold hands as they walk behind Sara and Ava along the path that leads to the lake.

Waverly is charged, the thought of seeing a real live spaceship has her giddy with excitement. “I can’t believe it’s right here. It’s been right under our noses this whole time.”

They approach the lake and Sara steps out ahead, she appears to be walking on the water instead of in it. She stops for a second as the large cargo door opens revealing the interior compartment.

Ava says, “That’s new?”

Sara replies, “Yeah, Ray had Gideon implement facial recognition protocol. No one gets on if they haven’t been cleared, unless they are accompanied by me, of course.”

The ship’s corridors are dark, there’s a slight chill in the air.

As they make their way along the dimly lit halls, Ava shivers. “I know you’re conserving energy, but can we have a little bit of light and maybe some heat?”

Sara pats her back, “Give it a minute, my love. Let’s get to the bridge first.”

Waverly holds tight to Nicole, for both warmth and to help steady her excitement.

They enter the large common area and Sara address the AI, “Gideon.”

“Yes Captain Lance?”

“Turn up the lights and give us some heat so we humans can function?”

“Yes Captain.”

Ava calls out, “Thanks Gideon”

“My pleasure Director Sharpe, and may I add, it’s nice to have you back on board.”

“It’s nice to be here, Gideon.” Ava nods.

“Gideon, please add facial recognition scans of Ava and our new friends into your database. Nicole and Waverly will be working with us from now on.”

“Yes Captain, I have already taken the liberty of adding them to the command protocol as well.”

Waverly drags Nicole up to the parlour area, “Is this the most amazing thing you have ever seen?” She whispers. “I’m just speechless, I mean…a talking space ship.”

“Actually Miss Earp,” Gideon interjects, “It is a timeship and I am a completely autonomous artificial intelligence program tasked with overseeing its operations.”

“Wow baby,” Nicole snorts, “The ship, sorry…Gideon, is a bigger nerd than you are.”

“Excuse me Captain, there is an incoming transmission from a Miss Felicity Smoak.”

“Put her on Gideon,” Sara tells her as she hops up the step into the parlour.

Felicity appears on the screen in front of them. She smiles, “Hey Sara, long time no see. And oh wow, you’ve got a whole mess of new friends there.”

“Hey Felicity, yeah, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Ava.” Ava waves. “And Nicole Haught and Waverly Earp, they’re part of my new team.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.” Felicity waves back, “So, Ava, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Oh?” Ava is surprised as she turns to Sara.

“Yeah, but not from Sara, Ray and Nora filled me in.” Felicity explains.

“I see, and you know Ray and Nora from?” Ava is confused.

“Babe,” Sara touches Ava on the shoulder. “Felicity and Ray used to date…”

“A long long time ago.” Felicity interjects.

“And they owned a tech company together at one time.” Sara continues. “Felicity is the best hacker on our earth, or any other earth for that matter. I asked Ray to reach out to see if she could help us locate your files.” She looks at Felicity, “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. What do you think?”

“I can probably locate the servers, and I can use Gideon to download the files but we’ll need to plant a secure transmitter locally before I can hack in. Government servers are usually pretty secure, and if I try to access it remotely, it could expose your location. My guess is, if they’ve been looking for you or the Waverider, we would be handing you and it right over to them.”

“Okay then, you work on finding the servers and I’ll worry about planting the transmitter.”

“Sounds like a plan. Oh and Sara…stay safe…all of you.” Felicity hugs her arms up to her chest.

“Thanks, we will. And tell Ollie I said ‘hey’. We’ll be in touch soon.”

The screen goes dark. Sara slumps into her leather chair.

Ava pours a glass of scotch for each of them and leans against the round table that sits in the center of the parlour. Sometimes she forgets that Sara had a whole other life before they met, and there are so many things she doesn't know. Like, does she trust this woman, and who is Ollie? She wants to ask, but she doesn’t want to add to Sara’s stress level right now. She’ll save it for another time.


	7. I Didn't See That Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the two women spar, beads of perspiration are visible on Nicole’s brow. She kicks off her shoes and socks and then strips off her t-shirt and jeans, leaving her standing in a black sports bra and girl boxers. Sara smirks and nods in approval. Waverly is transfixed by this display of athleticism and determination, not to mention her girlfriend’s fine body. Nicole is finally being challenged. She’s proving to be an excellent student. And it’s never a bad thing when Waverly gets to watch her girlfriend kick some ass.

The four women have been spending their days on the _Waverider_. Gideon has assured them there is enough fuel to keep the lights and heat on while they work. Fuel is a scarce commodity, something the Bureau was footing the bill for, and they need to keep enough in reserve in case they need to make a quick get away.

Sara wants to be on the ship in case any news comes in. She’s never liked waiting for answers. She has been known to take matters into her own hands, often with unfavorable results, but right now she has no choice. Ray is close to finishing the new smaller more efficient timeship and Felicity is hard at work trying to locate the server, which they hope will give them some answers. In the mean time, she intends to get Nicole ready for their impending mission. They’ll need a fresh face in the field, she can’t risk exposing Ava, and things will go a lot smoother if she has help.

Waverly has been hunkered down in the ships library. With the help of Gideon, she hopes to dig into her family’s past for answers of her own. Ava finds her there as Sara and Nicole head to the lower deck for a workout.

“So your last name is Earp, but you're not really and Earp, is that right?” Ava asks.

“Yeah,” Waverly nods. “So far, all I know is that Wynonna and I share a mother but Ward Earp was not my biological father.” Waverly pulls the report with her DNA results from a stack of papers and hands them to Ava. “Our mother ran off when I was just a baby.” Hearing that brings up all of her feelings again. Feelings of not belonging to anyone, of not having a true family, or at least not one she is related to by blood anyway. “So I can’t even ask her who my real father is or was. I mean, I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. Actually, I don’t even know if my Mother is alive either.”

“Huh, and you don’t have any other living relatives besides your sister?” Ava hands the paper back to her. She can relate to the not knowing, she’s had time to think about her own circumstances lately. Now that she has access to Gideon again, she plans to poke around the timeline as soon as she gets the chance.

“We have an Aunt, but she doesn’t know anything about it either. I don’t think anyone but my mother and maybe my birth father knew. As far as Ward was concerned, I was just as much his as his other two daughters were.” Her only solace is that she knows she has a half sister and an Aunt who care for her very much, and of course, she has Nicole.

“So, you’re looking for information about your Mother.” Ava pulls a large book down from one of the many shelves in the small library. “Nate left this place well stocked, I will say that. If you can’t find anything in here, then maybe Gideon can find something on the timeline.”

“That’s my hope.” Waverly smiles at her. Ava can see a tiny glint in the younger girls eyes.

“Well then, I’ll be glad to help. What can I do?” Ava pushes up her sleeves and grabs a chair.

They’ve been working in silence for a while when they hear cheers coming from another part of the ship and decide to investigate. Ava leads them down to the lower level where Sara has a gym set up. The cheering grows loader, telling them they’re getting closer to the source.

Ava stands at the closed double doors and waves her hand in front of the digital reader. As the doors slide open, a throwing knife zips by her head, barely missing her cheek, and sticks in the wall behind her. “Babe!” she exclaims. “Are you making holes in the walls again?” She’s not really surprised. Knowing Sara, it could have just as easily been an ax flying past her instead.

“Sorry,” Sara kicks the ground like a kid getting scolded by their parents, “I was just teaching Nicole how to hit a moving target. She got distracted when the doors opened. I think it was instinct really. She’s a natural. Check this out...”

She nods to Nicole and tosses a yellow rubber ball into the air. Nicole flicks her wrist just as Sara instructed, the knife sails at the target, striking it down on the first try. Sara throws two more balls and Nicole hits her marks again. “Damn girl!” Sara praises her with a high five. “You’re on fire. You sure you’ve never done this before?”

“Never,” Nicole sounds slightly out of breath. She’s as shocked as Sara. She glances at Waverly who also seems impressed by the show. “The only weapons they taught us to use at the Police Academy were guns and those lame taser pistols.” She pauses. “There was that ax throwing contest in Vegas, but it wasn’t much of a challenge. Everyone but me was drunk.” She knows that bringing up Vegas could upset Waverly. “Oh and they taught us to use those wooden batons, but the sheriff’s department doesn’t really like those things.” Maybe Waverly didn’t hear the Vegas part. “So far, I’ve only used my firearm on Revenants. Most of the calls we get are for a 10-51.” Everyone is listening intently. She blinks, “Drunk in public?”

“That’s my girl.” Waverly proudly claims, “The best deputy sheriff in the entire Ghost River Triangle.” She really does admire Nicole’s drive to be the best person she can be. She doesn't say it often enough, but Waverly is very proud of Nicole.

Not to be out done by a beaming girlfriend, Ava swoops in. “Sara is quite the expert with a bo staff.” She calls Sara her little ninja, but never says it out loud. “She was trained in martial arts by the League of Assassin, huh babe.” Ava is enjoying the chance to brag about her wife. All of their current friends already know the story and it’s not like you can tell it to strangers. “How long were you in Nanda Parbat, babe?”

“Five years, give or take, but let’s not talk about that.” Sara tries to change the subject quickly. She’d rather not reopen old scars, or field questions, particularly ones that might lead to ex-girlfriends, or ex-boyfriends for that matter.” She tosses a staff to Nicole, “Let’s see if you’re a natural with this too.”

Sara spends the next several minutes showing Nicole some basic hand positions and foot work before they begin to spar. Normally they would be using practice staffs, but since she only has the real thing, she’ll have to be extra cautious with her student.

Ava and Waverly take up residence in some nearby chairs as if they are spectators at the greatest sporting event in history, and as far as they’re concerned, that’s exactly what it is.

“I really like having you two here,” Ava touches Waverly’s arm. “Working with Nicole is the perfect distraction for Sara and I can tell she really likes you both.”

Since their short lived break from life threatening circumstances is now over and once again they are faced with a seemingly impossible task, Ava is sincere, and quiet frankly relieved. If it weren’t for these two, she’d have to entertain Sara all alone. That would surely involve more knife throwing and even more dents in the walls, at the very least.

Waverly nods in agreement. She thinks this is a good for them too. Nicole has seemed a bit restless lately. Waverly can only guess it has something to do with her career path. Nicole has shared her feelings about it in the past with Waverly. Nicole would like to move up the in the department someday, to be more than a deputy, but she feels there aren’t many opportunities for advancement in their small corner of the world. Maybe learning some new skills will be a welcome distraction for her as well.

Sara gently guides Nicole’s hands, “Good, now bring your arms up in front when I come at you.” She’s impressed with Nicole's speed and eagerness to learn. It reminds her of her younger self. Two of her fondest memories are of training with the League and the time she spent with Nyssa. But she can never erase the not-so-fond memories, ones of the cold blooded killer she turned into as a member of their organization.

As the two women spar, beads of perspiration are visible on Nicole’s brow. She kicks off her shoes and socks and then strips off her t-shirt and jeans, leaving her standing in a black sports bra and girl boxers. Sara smirks and nods in approval. Waverly is transfixed by this display of athleticism and determination, not to mention her girlfriend’s fine body. Nicole is finally being challenged. She’s proving to be an excellent student. And it’s never a bad thing when Waverly gets to watch her girlfriend kick some ass.

“Can I ask you a personal questions?” Waverly speaks to Ava without looking away from the action.

Ava nods, “Sure.”

“Do you ever wonder if you were programmed to be attracted to women or was it something that evolved in you after the fact?” Waverly looks at Ava, checking to make sure she hasn’t crossed a line.

Ava frowns but doesn't appear to be upset. “I guess I haven’t thought much about it. Rip said he picked me because of my brilliant mind, calm demeanor and incredible strength…his words not mine. He also told me that I was special but I didn’t really ask him what that meant.”

“Did you have other relationships before Sara?” Waverly continues, glad she didn’t overstep with the first questions.

“I have an ex-girlfriend. She lives in Vegas. But now that you bring it up, who knows if she wasn’t a paid actor too.” Ava’s feels her face flush with anger, “Oh god, what if I had sex with a perfect stranger, and Rip paid her!”

Sara hears Ava’s raised voice and turns to check on her. Right at that moment Nicole swings a counter strike with her staff, smacking Sara square in the back of the head, knocking her out cold.

Sara falls to the floor in a heap. They rush to her limp body. Ava gets there first and grab’s Sara’s lifeless hand, feeling for a pulse, she breathes a sigh of relief. “She’s breathing.”

Nicole is clearly shaken. “Oh no, what have I done.” Tears immediately run down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry!”

“She’ll be fine but she is unconscious.” Ava stresses. Blood pools under Sara’s neck. “We need to get her to the medbay.”

Ava scoops up Sara’s shoulders while Nicole grabs her legs as they carry her down the ships long corridors. Panic hasn’t set in yet, Ava is too focused on getting help for Sara. Nicole is still in tears as Waverly tries to keep them all calm.

“Gideon.” Ava calls out as they place Sara in the medbay chair. “Sara is hurt, I’m hooking her up right now. There was an accident, she’s been struck and has a nasty cut.”

“Yes Director Sharpe. Her vitals are coming on line now. I’ll asses the damage.”

Ava kisses the back of Sara’s hand and brushes the hair from her face. She’s been here before, _they’ve_ been here before, and they always survive. She knows it will take more than a blow to the head to keep Sara Lance down.

Nicole steps back sobbing softly as Waverly holds her. Stroking her hair, “Shh baby, it’s okay,” Waverly tries to console her. “ It was an accident.” She kisses Nicole’s forehead. “Sara’s going to be okay. She’s tough, isn’t that right Gideon.”

“Yes Miss Earp, I do believe Captain Lance will be fine.” Gideon responds. “All functions are normal. She has a concussion. She will need to rest. I’ve administered a mild pain reliever and repaired the laceration on her head.”

“See baby,” Waverly holds Nicole’s face in her hands, “She’s gonna be up and around in no time.” She kisses Nicole softly and wipes her tears.

Ava, still holding Sara’s hand, bends down and kisses her forehead. “You’re not leaving me today Lance.” She chokes back a tear as the shock has worn off and the reality sinks in.

Even though it’s a minor injury, she can’t help but feel like they’ve been thru enough shit already. Without Sara, who knows what would have happened to Ava after the Time Bureau shuttered. She could have been sent back to the future or worse they could have just decommissioned her. Sara would never let that happen, she has already risked her own life to save Ava once, and she has no doubt that she would do it again if necessary.

Nicole has gained back some of her composure with Waverly’s help. She steps towards Ava and places a hand on her shoulder. “Ava, I’m so sorry.”

Ava touches Nicole’s hand. “It was an accident, don’t blame yourself. She’s fine, really, she’ll be fine.” Ava turns to them both, “Why don’t you guys go get cleaned up and rest a little. There’s a room across the hall, you can sleep in there.”

Waverly touches Ava’s arm, “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine, I wanna be here when she wakes up.”

Waverly nods and guides Nicole to the chamber across the hall.

Inside the room there’s a bed and a small seating area. Nicole is calm but clearly shaken. She would never intentionally hurt anyone, and even though it was an accident, she can’t stop blaming herself. Waverly helps her into bed and sits on the edge, stroking her hair.

“Waves,” She looks up at Waverly. “What if that had been you? “ She feels tears well up again. She can’t even imagine how she would handle it if it had been Waverly lying there unconscious right now. She knows that it’s probably nothing for Sara, she saw the scars on Sara’s back. But Waverly, her Waverly, is so soft and pure and untouched by anything that could causes that kind of pain. She just wants to protect her and keep her safe.

Waverly bends to kiss her, “Baby, it’s okay.” She covers Nicole with a blanket and kisses her again. “I’m going to go check on Ava, get some rest. I’ll be right back.”

Waverly stands to leave, but Nicole pulls her back down to the bed. Sitting up, her hand on Waverly’s face, she looks into her eyes. “Wait Waves. I need to tell you something, or ask you something.”

“What is it Nicole?” Waverly looks slightly worried. She knows Nicole is upset but this feels like something more serious.

“You know that I love you and that you have my heart forever. I can’t imagine my life without you.” She kisses the back of Waverly’s hand and looks into her eyes before she continues. “I want to have a family with you and grow old with you. Waverly Earp, will you marry me?”


	8. Zero Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara can’t believe this is happening. Her life has changed, for the better, since she became captain of this time traveling space ship. She’s made friends, most of whom she considers family now. She’s met the love of her life. She’s grown in ways she never thought possible. It tears at her heart to give this order, but Rip has left her no choice.

Waverly rolls onto her back, Nicole has finally fallen asleep. They talked for what seemed like hours. Waverly didn’t know what to say to the proposal. She loves Nicole very much and of course wants to get married some day, at least she thinks she does. After working thru some of their emotions, they both agree that the timing seems a little off. They haven’t even moved in together, not that that’s a prerequisite for marriage. Nicole admitted it was impulsive. Waverly loved the romance. She has no doubt they could make a perfect life together. They see what Sara and Ava have and they want that too. For now, they’ve decided to put it aside and discuss it later.

Waverly is surprised at how this has affected Nicole. Being a cop, Nicole has certainly had to use force once or twice on another human being, but she is truly wracked with guilt over hurting Sara. They all witnessed it and know it was nothing but a freak accident. Nicole is the sweetest most gentle person and would never do anything like that on purpose to a friend or loved one. She hasn’t know Nicole to be this hypersensitive about anything before now.

She quietly slips off of the bed trying not to disturb her understandably exhausted girlfriend. With a blanket wrapped around her shoulders she looks for a clock to check the time but she doesn’t find one. It seems odd, but she guesses time isn’t relative when you’re on a timeship? She crosses the hall into the medbay and finds Ava asleep in a chair. Sara is still out of it, the wires connecting her to the monitors feeding the steady beep of her pulse. Not wanting to disturb either of them, she decides to head out in search of something to eat.

The subtle whoosh of the medbay doors sliding shut is enough to wake Sara. She opens her eyes and sees Ava slumped over in a chair, Sara knows she probably hasn’t left the room. She wonders how long she’s been unconscious. She barely remembers feeling a hot shooting pain in the back of her head before everything went dark. Her mouth is dry and her vision is slightly blurred. She feels a warm sensation slowly spreading thru her veins. She tries to move her arm but quickly realizes that she doesn’t have any feeling in either arm or her legs. She panics for a brief moment.

Suddenly, she seems to be standing in a dimly light room, it smells of musty dirt and stale water. _What the hell just happened. Am I back in Lian Yu? Am I a prisoner? _

She waits for her eyes to adjust as she assesses her surroundings, feeling around, she finds a door. She tries the knob. It’s locked. She’s in intense pain, the only sound she hears is the loud pounding coming from inside her own head.

_This can’t be happening again. I’ve already escaped a demon realm, but this feels different. _

She senses someone or something close by and calls out, “Who’s there? Where am I? What do you want?

There’s a reply from the darkness, “Hello Sara.”

The voice sounds familiar, “Rip? Rip Hunter?

“Yes, it’s me Sara.”

“But…it can’t be. You died in the explosion, you sacrificed yourself to save us. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Listen Sara. You got my message I assume. The one I left with Gideon?”

“The message that said we’re in danger, and that they’re coming for Ava? Yeah, I got it.”

“Good, things have changed and I need your help.”

“Wait, how are you talking to me right now?”

“I’m accessing your subconscious. The blow to your head opened up a portal, but we don’t have much time, you’ll be waking up soon.”

“That seems like an unbelievably convenient coincidence, me being hit in the head? You better start telling me the truth Rip, or the only help you’ll get from me is my boot in your ass. ”

“Okay, look, my message wasn’t exactly accurate. The short version is, the clone program was supposed to be social experiment. They were developed to be the perfect human, capable of doing anything they were asked to do. With enough money, anyone could own one. A company by the name of Advanced Variant Automation saw the opportunity to weaponize the program and began to manufacture deadly soldiers, but they couldn’t control them so they tasked me with finding a solution. I was on board, at first. We used the Time Bureau as a cover to try and understand what went wrong. I began by isolating one clone at a time and bringing them back to 2013 to monitor their progress. We thought if we could give them a more normal life, let them feel love and happiness, then they might be more controllable.”

“And it took 12 of them for your little experiment? What are you saying, that you programmed Ava to fall in love with me?”

“No, that’s just it Sara, she did that all of her own free will, which is exactly what we were hoping for. When they found out about the two of you, they wanted her back right away. But I knew what would happen, and that’s when I recorded the message. I planned to disappear, taking the secret of your location with me, but the Time Masters pulled me out just as the explosion went off.”

“And now they’re sending you to find us. I get it, Rip.”

“Yes, but it’s worse, they want you too.”

“Me? Why?”

“They believe that what ever you did to tame number 12, you can do to the rest of their army.”

“You want me to come to the future and sleep with your out-of-control Fembots?”

“Not exactly, you wouldn't have to sleep with them, just use your charm, get them to softened up a bit.”

“Have you completely lost your mind?! Is this some sort of a joke? Am I dreaming?”

“No Sara, it’s no joke. They want you both, and it has to be now. They are losing money for every second that this program fails. They can barely keep their army in line, it’s only a matter of time before their clones take over and humans are wiped out.”

“Look, I still don’t get why I should care about what happens 200 years from now. This is your mess, you’ll have to clean it up without me.”

“Sara, these people are very powerful, more powerful than anything you have ever fought before. And they will not take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Even if I gave a shit about you and this ridiculous mess, I would never voluntarily hand over my Ava or go willingly with you. And you clearly don’t know where we’re hiding since you’re asking me for help. So Rip Hunter, if that’s who you really are, you can go straight to hell.”

“You are correct in assuming that I don’t know where you are…yet. But I have resources, make no mistake, I will find you, Sara Lance.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sara?” She hears Ava’s voice as she wakes again. The musty smell has been replaced by the sweet scent of vanilla and coffee. She’s back on the _Waverider_. She opens her eyes to see Ava standing over her, “Babe, can you hear me?”

She reaches up to touch Ava’s cheek. “Hey you.” She smiles a little.

“Oh thank goodness. We were so worried about you Sara.” Ava takes Sara’s hand and presses a kiss to her palm.

“How long was I out?” Sara looks around to find Waverly eating a vanilla dipped donut and Nicole holding a cup of coffee. She nods in their direction, “Is there any whisky in that?”

“Not that long, just a few hours. Babe, you have a concussion. Gideon took care of everything. You should be good as new after you rest.” Ava tells her as she removes the wires connecting Sara to the monitors and helps her to her feet, “Let’s get you to bed.”

Sara tries to stand but instantly feels a searing pain radiate to her arms and legs. She grabs for Ava and slumps back into the chair, “What the hell…what did you do to me Gideon?”

“Babe, what’s going on?” Ava is shocked.

“Gideon! What did you give me. I felt something warm going into my veins before.”

Ava calls out in a panic, “Damn it Gideon, answer Sara.”

“Captain Hunter’s orders. If, in the event, you were injured and needed my help, I was instructed to administer a serum. It affects your nervous system and will continue to cause you crippling pain.

“And let me guess, the only way to stop it is to give him what he wants. Ava and me.”

“Why would Gideon do something like that?” Waverly chides.

“Wait, he wants _you_ too?” Ava is confused and distraught.__

“Yeah, I’ll explain it later. Right now we have to get off of this ship. We’re not safe here anymore.” Sara tries to stand again, but can’t.

Nicole moves to her and lifts Sara up in arms. “I’ve got you.”

Waverly looks shocked. “Wow babe, I didn’t know you were that strong.”

“Me either.” Her breathing is slightly strained. “Now let’s get out of here.”

Ava directs them, “This way.”

They reach the cargo bay doors in what feels like seconds thanks to Nicole's new found strength.

Ava opens the door as they head outside.

“Wait.” Sara stops them. She looks at Ava, sadness crossing her face.

“Babe, what are you doing?”

“The one thing I never thought I’d have to do.” She nods for Nicole to set her down on some empty crates near the door. The pain is intense any time she moves, but she manages to stand up, her ears ringing as the pain surges thru her. “Gideon, initiate sequence Zero Zero Zero Zero.”

“Captain, please confirm.” Gideon answers.

Sara can’t believe this is happening. Her life has changed, for the better, since she became captain of this time traveling space ship. She’s made friends, most of whom she considers family now. She’s met the love of her life. She’s grown in ways she never thought possible. It tears at her heart to give this order, but Rip has left her no choice. If they stay on the ship, if the ship is still in one piece, he will be able to find them eventually. That’s not a risk she is willing to take. “I, Captain Sara Lance, order you to begin the self destruct sequence now.”

“Very well Captain. The ship will self destruct in 30 seconds. And Captain…I truly am sorry.”

With tears streaming down her face, Sara replies “I know Gideon. I am too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That explosions was a lot smaller than I thought it would be.” Waverly says as they regroup in the living room of the penthouse.

“The ship was built to implode with minimal damage to it’s surroundings.” Sara tells them.

“This is all my fault.” Nicole blames herself. “If I had been more careful, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. You wouldn't be in this condition right now, and the ship would still be here.”

“It’s not your fault at all Nicole.” Sara looks at each one of them, “It’s my fault for keeping that damn ship in the first place. I should have known that Rip would betray me yet again.”

“Well there’s no sense in worrying about any of that now.” Ava interjects. "We’re on our own and we have to figure out how to get that stuff…” she jesters towards Sara, “out of you.”

“What if we just gave you a blood transfusion?” Waverly shifts into problem solving mode.

“We need to get me to Ray’s lab, if there is anyone who can figure this out, it would be him.” Sara is worried the longer this substance is in her, the worse things might get. She doesn’t want to alarm them, but it’s already becoming harder to speak.

“Sara, you’re in no condition to travel, you can barely move.” Ava furrows her brow.

“I know, but there is a way. Nora’s timestone. Grab my phone and call Ray.”


	9. She Said Yes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly volunteers to sit with Sara first in the make shift sickbay set up in a corner of Ray’s lab. The lights are dim and the only audible sound is the low beep of Sara’s pulse monitor. Waverly’s mind is reeling from the events that are still unfolding. So far, they’ve somehow been transported here by magic. She’s not exactly sure where ‘here’ even is. Sara has been basically poisoned, and the spaceship that did it has been blown to bits.

“I’ve sedated Sara while Felicity and I run some blood tests.” Ray tells Ava. He knew having a well-equipped lab would come in handy someday, although he never guessed he’d have to use it to save Sara. “This serum they used is complex; it affects the nervous system first and then moves into the muscular system.”

“Is it…fatal?” Ava has managed to hold it together so far. She’s grateful for the chance to ask questions, it’s the answers that worry her. Everything is happening so fast, they arrived here thanks to Nora’s timestone. Ray and Felicity went right to work on Sara. She hasn’t had time to think about what comes next, the only thing that matters now is taking care of Sara.

“I don’t think so. He wants her alive. From what Sara was able to tell me, before she went to sleep, Rip thinks you’ll give yourself up in order save her. His plan seems to be, essentially, to cripple her until you can’t take it anymore.” Touching Ava’s shoulder, he tells her, “But Ava, you can’t give up. Sara would be devastated if you left her. And we’re not defeated, not yet anyway.”

“How much time do we have?” Ava knows that Ray is right. She doesn’t want to give up, but she also can’t stand by and watch this happen to Sara, she loves her far too much to let her suffer. It would be selfish to go with Rip, but even more selfish to keep Sara like this.

“We won’t know for a while. There’s no way to assess the damage until we can stop it from spreading thru the rest of her system. We’re working on isolating the active particles to try and stop them from multiplying, but it will take some time.”

Ava feels frustrated and helpless as she barks, “How long, Ray?” His eyes widen. She takes a deep breath before apologizing. “Look, I’m sorry.” She drops into a chair next to Sara’s bed. “This is just maddening. I know you and Felicity are doing everything you can. I,” touching Sara’s hand, “…we really appreciate it.”

“Why don’t you go and get some rest. Let us take care of her.” Ray extends his hand to help Ava from the chair.

Ava shakes her head, “I don’t want her to be alone.”

“She won’t be, we’ll all take turns staying with her, I promise you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waverly volunteers to sit with Sara first in the make shift sickbay set up in a corner of Ray’s lab. The lights are dim and the only audible sound is the low beep of Sara’s pulse monitor. Waverly’s mind is reeling from the events that are still unfolding. So far, they’ve somehow been transported here by magic. She’s not exactly sure where ‘here’ even is. Sara has been basically poisoned, and the spaceship that did it has been blown to bits.

In the midst of it all, she can’t stop thinking about the fact that Nicole proposed to her, and she didn’t say yes immediately. The question she keeps asking herself is why. Yes, they agreed to talk about it later, but what is there left to talk about? She loves Nicole and she’s sure that Nicole is the person she wants to be with for the rest of her life. So what if they haven’t been together for that long. So what if they haven’t lived together yet. So what if they haven’t talked about their future plans. There will be plenty of time for that, won’t there?

Sitting at a nearby table, Nora hands Nicole a coffee cup, “So Gary tells me that you were the one who answered our message? How long have you been using magic?”

Nicole looks at her like a deer caught in headlights, “I’m sorry? Magic..? I don’t…I’m not…I’m just a regular person.”

“Oh, huh, that’s odd. Maybe Gary cast the wrong spell. He is sort of new at it himself.”

“Gary is a…?” Nicole looks perplexed.

“…Warlock, well studying to be one, yes. We made a deal. He released me as his fairy godmother and in exchange I’m teaching him how to become a Warlock. Although, you can’t really teach someone, as much as guide them, everyone has to make their own path when it comes to magic.”

“So if you’re a Witch,” Nicole can’t believe this conversation, although considering everything that’s happened so far, it’s not really that strange, “couldn’t you just use magic to fix Sara?”

“I can only use dark magic, that wouldn’t save Sara. Even if I did use my magic, it would come at a price, and that’s nothing any of us wants.” Nora assures her.

“Oh, well then that makes sense, I guess.” Nicole nods. But does it? And why do they think she has powers? That has never even crossed her mind. And you’d think if she did have magical powers, they would have come up by now.

“I’m gonna go check on Ava. Do you two need anything?” Nora stands and looks over at Waverly.

They both nod and as they watch her leave thru a door just on the other side of the lab. Nicole brings her chair closer to Waverly, who has made herself comfortable sitting next to Sara’s bed. She bends down and kisses Waverly before sitting.

“How are you holding up, baby?” Waverly asks her.

Nicole sighs, “I’m exhausted.”

Waverly takes her hand and interlaces her fingers in Nicole’s, “I know, me too. I just wanna crawl in bed with you and sleep for a whole week.”

Nicole slouches in her chair and leans her head to rest on Waverly’s shoulder. “Maybe we can take an actual vacation or go somewhere nice for our honeymoon…I mean…shit. Sorry Waves, I know we agreed to talk about that later.”

Waverly smiles, “It’s okay. This can be later.”

“Really, are you sure?” Nicole peers up at her without moving her head.

Waverly kisses her forehead and then leans against her. “I mean, yeah. What else do we have to do right now anyway?”

They sit in silence for a time. Neither wants to start the conversation.

Finally Nicole speaks. “Why do you think this is so hard for us? I mean, we love each other, right? And I know there is no one else I want to be with. This should be one of the happiest things we decide to do.”

“I know, and I _am_ happy. I’m happy that you want me as your wife and I want you as mine. I’m just afraid that stuff keeps happening. What if we never get to have a normal life? Look at my family. Look at where we are right now. And, by the way, where the hell are we anyway?” They chuckle together. “If we survive this, then what, we get a house and a garden? Marriage is such a grown up thing to do. Will we be bored in six months? I mean, do you want kids?”

Nicole sits up and kisses the back of Waverly’s hand. “I want all of those things, and I want them with you. I’m certain that I will never be bored. I haven’t thought that much about kids, but, yeah, I do want them…with you. And I think I know what the problem is; I didn’t do this right the first time so…” She slides out of her chair and gets on one knee in front of Waverly, taking her hand again; she looks deep into her eyes. “Waverly Earp,” her voice catching as she tries to hold back the flood of tears waiting to break free, “I love you with every ounce of my being and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please marry me and make me the happiest person in the world?”

Waverly nods, tears stream down her cheeks, she whispers, “Yes, yes I will marry you, baby.”

Nicole stands, pulling Waverly up with her. She wraps her arms around Waverly’s waist and picks her up off the ground, their lips met in a gentle kiss before Nicole whispers, “I love you so much.”

Waverly whispers back, “I love you too baby, so very much.” They hold each other and kiss softly, savoring the moment before the inevitable chaos resumes.

Ray, Nora, Ava and Felicity all come flooding in thru the same door on the far side of lab. They surround the happy couple and quietly cheer.

“Congratulations you guys.” Ray pats Nicole on the back and kisses Waverly’s cheek.

“How did you…?” Waverly is surprised but then gives into the fact that really nothing should shock them now.

“Oh, sorry,” Ray points in the general direction of the ceiling, “Closed circuit cameras. We monitor everything in the bunker. Nothing happens without us knowing.”

“Bunker?” Nicole thinks _sure, why not_.

“Yeah,” Felicity chimes, “my husband, Oliver, and I built it. We use it as our headquarters. It’s the safest place to be right now. We’re five stories underground with state-of-the-art security systems and the best laboratory in the world at our disposal.” She hugs them both, “And congratulations, you guys are so cute.”

Nora steps in next, “I have something for you.” She presses a small object into Nicole’s palm. “It’s not really official without one of these.”

Nicole opens her fingers to see a small ring. It’s a silver band set with a small black stone.

“Oh no, we couldn’t…” Waverly starts to protest.

“Please, I insist.” Nora stops her. “My father gave it to me when I was younger, now that I have my powers under control, I don’t need it anymore. I want you to have it.”

Nicole holds it up for Waverly’s approval before sliding it on her finger.

“The stone is Black Tourmaline; it protects the wearer from negative energy by deflecting it back to the source. It can be powerful in the right hands.” Nora tells them.

“That’s so sweet of you Nora, thank you so much.” Waverly touches the ring, “It’s very beautiful, and it fits perfectly.”

Ray moves to Sara’s side, “And we have some good news, we think we have something that can help Sara.” Holding a syringe, he looks at Ava for consent before injecting it into the IV bag. Ava takes Sara’s hand and nods approval. “We programmed our Nanites to isolate the serum in Sara’s system and remove it before it can do anymore harm. She should be pain free and totally fine in a few minutes.”

“What about side effects?” Ava is relieved, but still concerned for Sara.

“It’s difficult to tell, I’ll know more once she’s awake and we can monitor her properly. But I don’t have to tell you, Sara is one of the strongest most resilient humans I know. I have every confidence that she’ll make a full recovery.”

“I can attest to that, “Felicity agrees. “I was there when Sara came back the first time, she went thru hell, fighting the bloodlust and the demons, but she survived and she will make it thru this too. And she’s got even more reason now that she has you, Ava. I’ve known Sara a long time, and I can say without any doubt that you are her soulmate, you two belong together.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Ava nods. “I know she means a lot to all of you too. She really is my heart and soul and I can’t thank you all enough for being here for her.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_I hear voices; guess this means I’m not dead, yet. Oh shit, Ava and Felicity are talking about me, I’m sure I heard my name. And there’s Ray and Nora sitting at a table with Waverly and Nicole, such cute kids. Wait, did they just get engaged? Was I awake when that happened, shit, did I dream it? These damn drugs have me groggy as shit. But hey, I don’t feel any more pain. Toes wiggle, check, fingers work, check. Wait did I just say check, great, now I sound like Ray. At least the incessant pounding in my head is gone. That’s a relief. This looks like Oliver’s bunker, I’m glad Ava listened to me about calling Ray. That bastard Rip and his bullshit, I’m gonna cut his head off and dropkick it into space next time I see him. Okay, try to sit up…_

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

“Sara, hey what are you doing,” Ava runs to grab her before she can swing her legs over the side of the bed.

“You need to stay still,” Ray tells her. “Give the Nanites enough time to absorb the serum before you exert yourself.”

“Yeah okay, calm down. I’m fine, really.” Sara smiles at Ava. “Hey babe, you look tired.”

Ava hugs her, “Thanks jerk,” and kisses her, “Glad you’re okay. How do you feel, any pain?” Ava sits on the bed beside her and holds her hand. 

The others gather around, Sara nods at them. “Nope, so far no pain. I feel a little weak but otherwise fine. How long has it been since the ship exploded?”

“I don’t know about 12 hours or so, but babe, don’t worry about that right now.” Ava tells her.

“No, we have to worry about it. Rip, he’ll know the ship is gone and he’ll show up there looking for us. Don’t ask me how I know, I can just sense it.”

“But he won’t find you there, Sara. You’re all safe here now.” Felicity assures her.

“I know, but he doesn’t know that, and he doesn’t know that I’m okay. Don’t you see, we have the upper hand? We can lure him in and then I can kick his ass.” She balls up a fist and smacks the bed.

“Okay, babe, there’ll be plenty of time for ass kicking once you’re rested.” Ava pats her arm. “Besides, we left Gary there as a look-out, he can warn us if anyone shows up.”

“Oh please, Gary? That guy can’t keep a secret to save his own life.” Sara sounds disappointed, and rightfully so.

“Sara, what if Waverly and I go back there and keep an eye on things.” Nicole volunteers. “This Rip character doesn’t know us, if he shows up, we can let you know. And you know we can keep a secret, we’ve got your back.”

“You two have already been through enough, we couldn’t ask you to do that.” Ava looks concerned.

“Please, we insist. It’ll be fine,” Waverly tells them, “We can handle ourselves, really.”

Ava looks at Sara for consensus. Sara nods. “Okay, but don’t try to be heroes. You call us at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary.” Sara flashes her grin, “Oh and congratulations you two.” 

“Alright, now that that’s settled, Sara, you and Ava can stay here until we’re sure you’re going to be okay.” Ray pulls up a monitor as he talks. “Just let me get a baseline and then we can move you to Oliver’s old room.”


	10. The WR2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava and Sara look for answers to all their burning questions. Waverly and Nicole make more life changing decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I wanted. Seems I fell into a plot ditch and had to dig my way out, but I think I'm back on track now.

Nicole and Waverly were emotionally and physically exhausted when they got back to the penthouse. They went straight to bed and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The next morning, Waverly wakes, rolls over and peers at her phone on the nightstand. She doesn't remember plugging it in, but notices it’s fully charged. “Shit, two missed calls and five texts from Wynonna,” she whispers to herself not wanting to disturb her beautiful fiancée asleep beside her. “It’s too early, I’ll call her later.”

Admiring the new addition to her left hand, beaming at the ring on her finger, she sighs joyfully. Sitting up, she slides a pillow behind her back and props it against the headboard. So many strange things happened in the last few days, and the least strange is that she and Nicole are officially engage. It feels right, like it was supposed to happen this way, and she can’t wait to start the next chapter of their lives together.

She’s imagined the moment they pledge their love to each other. She knows what she’ll wear, what she’ll say, and where they’ll have the ceremony, nothing too big or fancy, simple but elegant. She hasn’t shared any of this with Nicole, it’s barely sunk in, but there’s no hurry. Besides, Wynonna will need time to adjust.

_Meanwhile in the Bunker…_

Sara opens her eyes. A lamp in the corner lights the room just enough for her to see Ava lying awake next to her.

“Hey.” Sara rubs the sleep from her eyes. “How long have you been up?”

“Not long. I love watching you sleep. You looked so peaceful.” She moves closer and kisses Sara then nestles her head against Sara’s shoulder, “How do you feel?”

Sara wraps her arms around Ava, “Good, I think. What time is it?”

“Hmm, no idea, but let’s enjoy the quiet before we have to get up.” Ava looks up at her. “I’m glad you’re alright. I can’t even think about what would’ve happened…” her voice catching a little, “if you didn’t make it.” Even in the dim light Sara can see the glint of a tear in Ava’s eyes.

“Hey babe,” wrapping her arms tighter. “It’s over now. I’m fine.” Pressing a kiss to Ava’s forehead, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, besides I’ve been thru much worse.”

“That’s just it Sara. When is it going to stop? I thought we finally had a normal life. I know this wasn’t your fault, but I’m tired of feeling like I could lose you at any minute. And I’m tired of hiding from Rip or anyone else.”

“I know. I’m tired of hiding too.” Sara tries to keep her emotions in check. “I thought I could keep us safe. I never should’ve kept it from you in the first place. This honestly _is_ my fault.”

Ava managed to stay calm during the crisis but now that she has a chance to analyze it, she gets emotional. “No, Sara, you can’t blame yourself.” She props up on one arm to look at Sara. “We just need a plan that doesn’t involve hiding or running away. This has to end.” 

“I agree, and look; once this is over we can go back to Haven and live a perfectly normal life.”

Ava takes a deep breath and looks into Sara’s eyes, “Nothing would make me happier, but you can’t promise a normal life, neither of us can. Our lives haven’t been normal and I doubt they ever will be.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m just saying, I love you and no matter what happens to us, as long as we’re together, I’ll be happy.” She presses a soft kiss to Sara lips.

“I love you too babe.” Sara smiles, “Hey, I have an idea. We’ve never made this official, so when this is over, why don’t we have a small commitment ceremony. We can invite our friends, have a little party. What do you think?”

Ava rolls on top of Sara, “How did I get so lucky?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Sara pulls her close and kisses her.

_Back at the Penthouse…_

Nicole slides the patio door open and pads onto the roof deck, carrying a coffee for her and tea for Waverly.

“Yes, Wynonna, we’re both fine. I just forgot my phone yesterday. There’s nothing to worry about.” Waverly mouths ‘thank you’ to Nicole, taking the warm cup with her free hand. Nicole kisses her and settles into the chair beside her. “I’m not sure. We might stay a few more days. How are things there?” She smiles at Nicole as she listens to her sister talk.

Nicole kicks her legs out and tilts her head back, taking in the warm midday sun, as she listens to Waverly’s side of the conversation. No mention of the engagement. That might be a good thing right now. Wynonna should probably hear it in person anyway. Big changes are coming for all of them.

“Okay -- love you too. Talk to you soon.” Waverly drops the phone into her lap and sighs.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just some fight at Shorty’s, but she’s fine. There’s one less revenant to deal with I guess.” Interlacing her fingers with Nicole’s, “Thanks for the tea sweetie.”

Nicole sips her coffee, “You know, our days could be like this all the time, waking up next to each other, me bringing you tea, us living here.”

“Yeah, how would we do that?”

“Sara wants us to come and work with them in the hotel. She’s offered us both jobs.”

“I see. When did you discuss that?” Waverly pulls her hand away and curls her legs up in the chair.

“It was…before…I hit her in the head. I haven't said anything before now, there wasn’t really time.”

Waverly sips her tea and then glances over, “It’s okay.” They sit in silence for a few minutes before Waverly speaks again. “I thought you wanted to be the Sheriff in Purgatory?”

“I do, I mean – I did before all of this.” She gestures in the general direction of the swimming pool. “Waves, there is an entire world out there. Things we never dreamed existed. Being with Sara and Ava, meeting all kinds of new and different people, I think I want more.” It’s a big risk, saying this out loud. What if Waverly doesn’t want it? “But if you’re not okay with it, then we can go back home and build a life there.”

Waverly takes another sip of her tea. This is not a choice she expected to have to make. Staying in Purgatory would be easy, but she knows Nicole would still be restless and wondering about what their lives could have been. Moving here, leaving Wynonna, would be difficult for her _and_ her sister. It feels like an incredibly hard decision and someone is bound to get hurt either way.

The silence eats at Nicole. Her leg bounces nervously. “We don’t have to decide anything right now. Take your time, baby.”

“Actually, I think I’d like it here.” Waverly decides impulsively. “You’re right, there is an entire world out there, and we’ve been given an opportunity to experience it. I think we should at least give it a try.”

“Really?” That was not the response Nicole expected.

“Yeah, I mean, Wynonna will be fine, and we’re not that far away. We’re engaged now, it’s time we start focusing on _us._” She moves to take her favorite spot in Nicole’s lap. “I wanna build a life with you, baby.” Their lips meet in a soft kiss. They fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle. “And for me, no matter where we are, home will always be right here in your arms.”

“You _are_ incredible Waverly Earp.” They kiss again. “I love you.” Nicole tightens her arms around Waverly and pulls her into a deep kiss. She is touched by Waverly’s devotion to her, and to their relationship.

“After this thing with Rip is over, we’ll go and break the news to Wynonna.” Waverly knows it will be difficult for her sister but she feels like this is the right decision. She rests her head on Nicole’s shoulder. “Would you want me to change my last name? I’m not really an Earp anyway.”

“If you want to, baby. You could be Mrs. Haught. But you’re just as much of an Earp as your sisters are, even Wynonna has said so.”

“I know.” They kiss again.

_Later that day…Still in the Bunker…_

Ava and Sara have been working on a plan.

“None of this makes sense,” Ava flops into a chair at the command desk. The Bunker is full of computers and monitors, most of which Felicity has asked them not to touch.

“Let’s look at what we know.” Sara takes the chair beside her. “Rip said that the Time Masters make a mistake. It sounds like their mistake is letting that corporation take over. He said they can’t control the clones anymore. He also said that they hadn’t learned how to correct it yet.”

“So that’s what the eleven clones before me failed to do? Help him stop this corporation?”

“Yeah, maybe, I mean it _would_ explain why he brought you here. He was looking for alternate solutions and when he realized he couldn’t find any, he wiped your file and gave in to the fact that the future was doomed.”

“Why not just travel to a time before everything happens and stop the corporation from taking over the program in the first place? And, no offense but, his reason for wanting you doesn’t make sense either.” Sara nods in agreement. “What if we tried to stop them from making clones to begin with?”

“But that would erase _you_ from the timeline too.” Sara touches Ava’s hand.

“Not if I stayed in the temporal-zone, right?” Ava places her hand on top of Sara’s.

“There’s no way to know if that would work. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take, my love.” Sara kisses her.

“I can’t believe Rip would do this to us.” Ava feels frustration and hurt at the thought. This was the man who hired her. He groomed her to become head of the Bureau. He led them all to believe he sacrificed himself to save them from Mallus.

“Honestly, I’m not convinced it was really him talking to me. I mean it sounded like him, but something seemed off. The Rip I grew to know wouldn’t sell us both out like this. He was proud of you _and_ me. He told me as much.”

“Okay. Then if it wasn’t him, who was it? ”

“It could be a trick, the Time Masters pretending to be him. Maybe they can’t time travel. Maybe that’s why they needed Rip.”

“If that’s true, then why are we even running from them?”

“That’s a good question. He made it sound like I didn’t have a choice, but clearly they don’t know how to find us especially now that the _Waverider_ is gone.”

The elevator doors open and Felicity steps off, as she moves to the command center she calls out, “Hey guys, I think you’re going to want to see this.” She’s carrying a large tablet and as she walks she swipes the screen to project the display onto the overhead monitor. Ray joins them. “I was running a few facial recognition programs and found this.”

A woman’s face appears on the monitor, the hair is shorter and much darker, but she bears a striking resemblance to Ava.

“What the hell? Why does that woman look like me?” Ava tries to stand, but decides to remain in her chair.

Felicity continues. “This is Anna Traske, she was a world renowned Geneticists from Finland. In 2002 she published a paper stating that she had perfected the cloning of humans. She claimed that a baby made as a copy of its mother, had been born. But her work was highly discredited and a few years later she mysteriously disappeared without a trace.”

Ray moves to the console and slips into a chair. “If she really did make a clone baby, what happened to it?"

“And how did a clone resembling her end up 200 years in the future?” Felicity adds.

“I don’t know, but I’m guessing _she_ might be able to tell us.” Sara points to the monitor. “I say we make a little trip to Finland. Ray, how’s that new ship coming?”

“Funny you should ask. I just finished running simulations and it’s ready for a test flight.”

“Nice,” Felicity gives Ray a high-five. “But wait, what about this Rip character? Isn’t he still looking for you both?”

Sara grins, “We’ll handle him when the time comes. Now let’s go test this baby.”

_Penthouse…_

Nicole is back after venturing downstairs to chat with Gary about working for Ava and Sara. She finds Waverly in the kitchen. Sneaking up from behind, she wraps arms around her fiancée, and kisses the side of her neck. Waverly instinctively responds by turning in her arms and pressing her lips to Nicole’s. They enjoy the embrace as they kiss softly, pausing only to look into each other’s eyes before resuming.

When they finally break, Nicole looks down at the meal Waverly has prepared, “What’s this, baby?”

“I thought it would be nice to celebrate our engagement, privately.” She gives Nicole a mischievous grin. “Have a little dinner and if you’re good, maybe some desert?”

“Well, if by desert, you mean _you_, I’m all in.” They kiss again.

“How did it go with Gary? Does he think we would be a good fit?” Waverly brings plates and the food to the table as they talk.

Nicole follows her with a bottle of wine. “Yeah, he seemed to like the idea. I couldn’t get much out of him though. He’s a bit of strange man if you ask me.”

“Strange how?”

“I’m not exactly sure, I just get an odd vibe from him, ya know?”

_Back at the Bunker…_

Ray dubbed the new ship _WR2_, (in honor of the _Waverider_ of course). The _WR2_ looks more like a private jet than a space ship, but Ray assures everyone that looks are deceiving. “This ship was built using the most advance technology with the same futuristic materials as my Atom Suit. It can travel faster and is more fuel efficient than any larger ship. Since none of us will be living on it, I converted the cabin into a command center. There’s a state of the art AI on board, thanks to Felicity’s help. It’s fully capable of time travel. Has its own sophisticated defense system, including cloaking abilities, and it can travel at supersonic speed if needed.”

“And who doesn't need a little supersonic speed, am I right.” Sara quips, raising her eyebrows at her joke.

Ava frowns at her, slapping Sara’s hand away from touching a lever. Ava was elected to pilot the ship first, actually, they drew straws. “Okay Ray, what do we need to do first?”

“It’s pretty simple really. See that green button just to the right of the yoke? Press it.”

Ava follows Ray’s instructions, pressing the green button.

“Hello Director Sharpe, Captain Lance.” A familiar voice greets them.

“Gideon?!” Sara looks startled, her stomach does a flip. “Ray…what the hell?!”

“Relax Sara; it’s not what you think. This is Gideon 2.0, the new and improved version. This AI will only take orders from us. It’s all driven with facial recognition and bio-metrics. She’s fully functional but this one won’t be able to hurt us, ever. Actually, the only original part of the program we used was the voice.”

“Okay, now what Ray.” Ava touches Sara’s arm in an effort to calm her. “What’s next?”

“You simply tell her where you want to go and she’ll do the rest.”

Ava turns to Sara, “Babe? Where are we going?”

Sara is still trying to slow her breathing after the mild panic attack. “Um, well, let’s go home first. We can try to find this Traske woman after a good night’s sleep in our own bed.”

“That’s a good idea Sara,” Ray sits at the command desk in the Bunker. “You have about a two hour flight if you travel the traditional way, or you can be there quicker if you go supersonic.”

“Up to you babe…” Ava waits for Sara’s answer.

“Oh what the hell, let’s live on the wild side.” She grins.

“Gideon.” Ava addresses their new friend.

“Yes Director Sharpe?”

“Take us home to Haven, and use the supersonic mode.”

“Yes Director Sharpe, you and Captain Lance may want to strap in.” Gideon 2.0 instructs them before the engines rev up to speed and they lift off as they hurtle thru the sky.


	11. Re-connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes couples just need to reconnect. There's a new ship in town. Sara shares something with Waverly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, there is sex in this chapter, not overly explicit this time.
> 
> The song referenced is "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" By England Dan and John Ford Coley.

“Baby, I’m pretty sure the pool is heated. It’ll be fun. Come on. Let’s go for a swim under the stars,” Nicole pleads as she drops two towels on a chair and grabs the remote to turn on the sound system. They finished dinner a while ago but Waverly has been distracted, Nicole thinks they just need to reconnect.

_England Dan and John Ford Coley_ waft from the outdoor speakers, surrounding them with the melody.

_ Hello Yeah it’s been awhile_

_ Not much, how ‘bout you_

_ I’m not sure why I called_

_ I guess I really just wanted to talk to you_

Waverly follows her to the edge, protesting, “We don’t have suits.”

_ And I was thinkin maybe later on_

_ We could get together for awhile_

_ It’s been such a long time _

_ And I really do miss your smile_

“We don’t need them. We’re on the roof.” Nicole is already half undressed, “No one can see us up here.” She sheds the rest of her clothes and slips in, splashing Waverly in the process.

_ I’m not talkin bout movin in _

_ And I don’t wanna change your life_

“Come on Waves, the water’s so nice,” calling out as she dips under and pops up a few feet away.

_ But there’s a warm wind blowin’ the stars around_

_ And I’d really love to see you tonight_

“Well, I guess I can’t say no to you,” Waverly smiles. Stripping down, she dips into the water. “But we really need to update this playlist,” she shouts over the chorus.

Underwater lights make the pool glow like a fish tank. Nicole stands at the deepest part. The water is just at her shoulders. Waverly swims to her and grabs on for support before wrapping both legs around her and planting a big kiss on her cheek.

Nicole looks surprised. “What was that for?”

“You’re incorrigible, you know that, right?” Waverly taps her on the nose and kisses her again.

“I’m a lot of things,” She grins as she holds Waverly up out of the water and spins them around in time with the music.

_ I’m not talkin bout movin in _

_ And I don’t wanna change your life_

** **

Their slick bodies slide together as she lowers Waverly back into the water, kissing her gently.

_ But there’s a warm wind blowin’ the stars around_

_ And I’d really love to see you tonight_

** **

Feeling Nicole’s strength, Waverly responds by wrapping her arms tightly around Nicole’s neck, they continue to spin effortlessly as their lips meet again.

Nicole leans back pulling Waverly on top of her as she floats. “I could really get used this, huh baby? I’m so happy you agreed to us living here.”

Waverly looks away, pushes off and swims to the shallow end of the pool. 

Nicole follows her. “Something wrong, Waves?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.” She floats towards the edge and presses her back against the wall of the pool for support.

“Okay, I may not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but I know when you’ve got something on your mind. You were quiet during dinner too. Talk to me, baby.”

“I’ve just been thinking. I know I agreed to this, and I still want it. It’s hitting me, you know, about leaving Wynonna, about not being an Earp. What if I never find out who I really am?”

“I know, baby” Nicole hugs her. “Everything will be okay.”

“And I’m messing up our romantic evening.” She sighs.

“Hey,” Nicole pulls her close, looking into her eyes, “You are the most incredible person I know. You’re strong and sweet and smart and wonderful.” Pressing her lips to Waverly’s forehead, “It doesn’t matter where we are or what we do, we _will_ find your family, together. Okay?”

“You’re always so sweet to me.” Waverly touches Nicole’s lips before kissing her. “I love you so much.”

They float silently beside each other, looking up at the stars.

A bright streak flashes across the dark night sky followed by a loud noise. They both hear it and decide to jump out of the water to take a closer look. The flash seems to disappear just beyond the tree line.

“What the hell was that?” Waverly wraps up in a towel and hands the other to Nicole.

“No idea, but I hope it’s not trouble.” Nicole swings the towel around her shoulders and grabs her clothes.

+++++++++++++

“Well, that was certainly an unusual experience. Wouldn’t you say babe?” Ava looks over at Sara who’s still strapped in to the co-pilot seat wearing a big ass grin on her face. “What’s up with you?” She asks.

“It’s kind of nice watching you take charge. It turned me on a little.” Sara releases her lap belt and squirms out of the seat.

Ava chuckles, “Yeah, well, I wasn’t _really_ in charge since the damn ship did all the work. I’ve got to hand it to Ray, this _is_ pretty impressive.” She releases her own lap belt and follows Sara out of the cockpit. “But what’s up with the name? _WR2_? And he used Gideon’s original voice?”

“That’s Ray, but hey, what he lacks in originality, he makes up for by being a brilliant scientist. And now that we have this, we can take on Rip or anyone else that gets in our way.”

“We did make it here in one piece, I’ll give you that.”

Sara curls her mouth sideways and flashes her trademark grin as she pulls Ava close. “I’m just disappointed we didn’t get to join the mile high club.”

“What about all of those times on the _Waverider_?” Ava tilts her head and smiles.

“Floating in the temporal zone doesn’t count.” Sara winks.

Their lips touch as Ava runs her hands up Sara’s arms resting them on her shoulders. “You’re certainly feeling better.” She grins.

“Thanks to Ray and his microscopic robots,” Sara smirks. “I just realized that I never properly thanked you for taking care of me earlier.”

“Well then,” Ava drops her eyes to Sara’s lips before looking up again, “thank away.”

Sara’s hands are on Ava’s back, pulling their bodies tighter as they become entangled in a long lingering kiss. They pause, their tongues touch, the kiss deepens. Sara feels her pulse quicken as Ava grabs a handful of hair. She moans thru the kiss. Breathless, they part.

“What do you say we continue this upstairs?” Sara takes Ava’s hand. As they leave she calls out, “Gideon 2.0, engage cloak mode.”

+++++++++++++

The elevator doors open to the penthouse, Sara and Ava step off; their faces flush from making out the entire ride up. Inside they find Gary talking with Nicole and Waverly.

“Hey guys,” Sara greets them. “What’s going on?”

Ava gives a quick wave and sits in the closest chair.

“We were…umm…swimming…and we saw a bright flash in the sky followed by a loud noise.” Nicole explains, “We didn’t know what it was so I called Gary.”

“That was us.” Sara sits down beside Ava. “We officially have a new ship thanks to Ray Palmer.”

Gary claps his hands together, “That’s fantastic.”

“So I take it you have a plan?” Waverly asks, sliding an arm around Nicole’s waist and leaning into her.

“Sort of, we have new information, there’s someone we want to check out. But it’s late, so let’s all get some sleep and we’ll regroup in the morning.” Sara stands and pulls a sleepy Ava up with her.

Ava mumbles, “Good night” before heading to their room. Nicole and Waverly do the same.

Sara follows Gary to the door. “We good?” she asks.

He nods, “Everything is in place and working perfectly.”

She pats his back, “Good, see you in the morning.”

+++++++++++++

Sara enters their bedroom, closing the door behind her. “Now Director Sharpe, where were we?”

Ava shoves Sara back against the door and kisses her hard. Looking intently into her eyes, she pulls Sara’s shirt off and then her own. “I believe you were about to _thank_ me.” She whispers, hungrily kissing Sara’s neck and urgently pulling at the waistband of Sara’s pants.

Sara pushes her to the bed. “I _believe_ you are correct.”

Ava falls back and wriggles out of her jeans. Sara pulls her own clothes off and falls on top of Ava. Their mouths collide in a feverish kiss. Sara pins Ava’s wrists to the bed and pushes her leg between Ava’s, spreading them slightly and presses into her. Ava moans and thrusts her hips up against Sara in response.

Sara lunges again, watching as Ava throws her head back. “These need to come off,” she pulls at the only barrier between her and her wife’s arousal. She swallows hard, pausing long enough to help remove the panties and tosses them across the room.

Then she goes to work, slowly kissing her way down Ava’s body, stopping only to admire her firm stomach, looking up at Ava with a mischievous grin, lightly tracing a finger before proceeding lower.

She settles between Ava’s leg and dips her tongue in, humming, “Mmm, you’re so wet,”

“Oh god…Sara,” Ava manages the few words between her short breaths.

Sara smiles and continues working her ‘magic’ as Ava calls it, with her tongue. Every lick, every touch, gets Ava even more worked up.

“Please,” Ava begs after she can’t take any more. “I want you inside.”

Sara obeys, dipping one finger in and then a second. She’s still for a moment, letting Ava open up to her, then continues, sliding glistening fingers in and out, slowly at first but then she quickens to match Ava’s movements.

She watches as Ava’s body responds, moving with her, riding the wave of pleasure. She knows exactly how to please her, whispering, “You’re so beautiful.” She knows every inch of Ava’s body and makes every touch, every kiss, and every moment count.

Ava gasps, “More,” her breathing is heavy and hard as she opens her legs wider.

Sara kisses the inside of Ava’s thigh before adding a third finger, continuing her rhythm, pushing Ava farther and father to the edge.

Ava grabs for Sara and puffs out, “Yes, please, now,” between her gulps for air.

Sara rolls her wrist, her fingers curling upward, hitting the exact spot that will take Ava over the top.

Ava grabs for her again, every inch of her pulsing around Sara’s fingers as the wave finally washes over her. Her body rolling up, her head pressed back, her skin glistening, until she finally goes still. The only sound she can manage is a low breathy laugh.

Sara stays motionless, fingers still inside, waiting, watching as Ava tries to regain her breath. Her gloating grin says she’s quite proud of her accomplishment. “You’re incredible,” she whispers.

“Me? You’re the one that’s incredible. The things you do to me Sara Lance.”

Sara pulls out slowly, slides up and softly kisses her, “So you feel properly _thanked_ then I take it?” 

“Yes, yes I do.” Ava sighs with contentment.

Sara lays back.

Ava rolls to her, resting her head on Sara’s stomach before closing her eyes.

_Later that night…_

Waverly flicks on a light in the kitchen, just as Sara wanders in sleepily scuffing her slippers across the floor, her hair tousled, her robe open.

“Oh, hey Sara, did I wake you?” Waverly averts her eyes.

Sara scratches her head before opening the refrigerator, “Hmm…what… no. I always get thirsty after…well… you know.” She looks down, pulls her robe closed and takes a bottle of juice from the door.

“Yeah…me too,” Waverly blushes.

Sara looks at her and smiles. “Good for you,” offers a high-five then sits at the island. “Sorry if we interrupted anything earlier. I guess it was kind of a dramatic entrance.”

“Oh no, we were just enjoying the stars.” Waverly grabs a juice and closes the door. “Nicole told me about your invitation…to come and work for you.”

“Yeah, well not so much work _for_, we want you to work _with_ us. Are you interested?”

“We are.”

Sara takes a gulp of her juice, “Why do I sense a ‘but’ in there?”

Waverly looks down and pulls at her sleeve, “It’s a big step and well, I was hoping to continue researching my family, and now that the spaceship…”

“Timeship,” Sara interrupts.

“Right, timeship is gone.” Waverly takes a drink.

Sara jumps down from the stool, “I have something to show you, I think it might help.”

She scuffs over to a small study just off the main living area and flicks on a light. Waverly follows. The area is tastefully decorated. There’s a small desk in the center and bookcases lining two walls. Sara presses a button under the desk and one of the bookcases slides up and out to reveal an opening.

Waverly’s eyes get wide, “Is this like a bat cave?”

Sara heads towards the opening, “More like a canary cave.” She grins and leads Waverly down a short flight of stairs. The room lights up as they move towards the center. “Motion sensors,” Sara tells her. “This is top-shelf tech, all thanks to my friends.”

Waverly is in awe, “It sort of resembles the Bunker.”

“Yes, I guess it does, but with less pointy stuff. Arrows are Ollie’s thing, not mine.” She points to the center of the room, “This is our new command center, state-of-the-art everything at our fingertips.”

Waverly sits and pulls up closer to the desk. She counts at least four monitors on the desk and two more hanging from the ceiling. There’s a bank of racks with flashing lights off to one side, a small work-out area and some display cases off to the other side.

Sara pulls a chair up beside her. “I would love it if you would oversee our operations, be our eyes and ears, right from here. And of course, you could continue your research. I’m sure Ava will be interested in helping you with that too.”

“I don’t know what to say, this is amazing.” Waverly is slightly overwhelmed and fascinated at the same time.

“Go ahead, try it out. Put your palm on this scanner.” Sara points to a flat panel next to a keyboard.

Waverly places her hand on it and within seconds all of the monitors light up. Each shows a different view of grounds around the hotel. “Wow, this really is just like the Bunker.”

Sara laughs, “We’ll have to pick a different name though.” She leans back and puts her hands behind her head. “So what do you say? Are you in?”


	12. It's Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Nicole travel to 2002 in search of answers. The team works together. Nicole speaks Klingon.

The new command center was a pleasant surprise to everyone. Sara called in a few favors. She and Gary had been secretly working on the setup for months. She knew that they wouldn’t be able to rely on the _Waverider_ forever; this was always going to be plan B. 

Waverly has been researching Anna Traske and getting familiar with the new equipment.

Nicole is nervous but excited to be going on her first mission with Sara. “Waves, you’ve been at this all morning, why don’t you take a break, come and sit with me.” She rubs Waverly’s shoulders. “Besides, I need a little distraction from my nerves.”

Waverly follows her to a nearby table where they sit.

“Baby, everything will be fine. It’s not like you to be nervous. What’s going on?” Waverly sees the concern on Nicole’s face and immediately wants to comfort her.

“I’m not sure, I think it’s the thought of time travel, and I’m not the biggest fan of flying, but I really want to experience this, I’m just a little scared but in a good way.”

Waverly takes Nicole’s hands, looks straight into her eyes and tells her, “You’re so brave for doing this. I’m sure it will be amazing. I’m so proud of you, Baby.”

“Thank you for being my stability, Waves.”

“It’s my pleasure. You always do that for me, now it’s my turn.”

They share a soft kiss.

Sara, Ava and Gary emerge from an elevator, its door hidden behind a secret panel. They’re coming back from running some last minute checks on the _WR2_.

Sara motions for everyone to gather near the bank of consoles. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road. Waverly, what else did you find on our mystery woman?”

Waverly slips into a chair, grabbing a keyboard, she takes control. “Anna Traske, born in Utah in 1979, her father, Doctor Benson Traske, was a brilliant geneticist and her mother, Alice, worked as a law professor for the University of Utah.” Waverly quickly taps on the keyboard and then points to the overhead displays where a photo of a young woman appears. “Anna was a child genius, graduating from the University at the ripe old age of 17 with two master’s degrees and was promptly recruited into the prestigious genetics program at the University of Helsinki, Finland where she would go on to earn her PHD a few years later. Looks like the whole family moved to Finland in support of her.”

“Impressive, anything else?” Sara asks.

Waverly calls up some documents on the screen. “She and her father were working together on a pretty incredible discovery. Without getting into the details, along with their work on cloning, Benson also published papers, on what he called a serum, that could significantly slow the aging process, if not stop it all together. Seems he was also discredited and the whole family, Anna, Alice and Benson disappeared a short time later. The reports are sketchy after that, but it doesn’t look like the police spent much time looking for them.”

“Great work Waverly.” Sara praises her.

Ava paces “Okay, so two brilliant scientists develop cloning and discover the fountain of youth, then mysteriously disappear. So it’s a good bet that Rip is involved, he must take them to the future where they’re forced to work for the evil corporation.”

“Evil?” Sara gives her a raised eyebrow grin.

Ava shrugs.

Gary joins in, “Then when things start to go wrong, Rip tries to correct his mistake and isn’t successful. But 11 times? Is this like a ‘Groundhog Day’ situation?” Ava gives him a puzzled look. “You know that movie where Bill Murray gets stuck in a loop and has to relive the same day over and over again.”

“Oh, I love that movie.” Nicole replies.

“Ah, hey guys, we have an incoming call. Looks like its Ray.” Waverly tells them.

Sara hits a few keys and Ray appears on their display.

“Hey everyone, sorry to interrupt your pre-mission prep, but there’s something you should know Sara.”

“Go ahead Ray.” She answers.

“I was running some more tests on your blood sample and it looks like the serum you were injected with has somehow altered your DNA.”

Ava moves closer to Sara and asks, “Altered how? I thought the Nanites neutralized the serum?”

“They did, but not before some of it got into her blood stream.”

“So what does this mean Ray?” Sara sounds slightly annoyed.

“I’m not exactly sure. It looks like your cells are regenerating at a slightly faster rate than usual. It could be nothing but it could also mean that you might heal faster than the normal. How do you feel? Have you noticed anything different?”

“I feel fine, great actually.” She winks at Ava.

“Could this have anything to do with the research that Anna and her father were working on?” Nicole asks.

Waverly speaks up. “Good questions, Baby. Ray, I’ll send you everything we have on Anna and her father’s work.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll run some more tests, but it would help if we had a sample of the original serum. In the meantime, keep an eye out for anything unusual.”

“Thanks Ray.” Sara tells him.

The display goes dark.

“Babe, are you sure you’re up for this? Maybe we should wait until we know what’s going on?” Ava knows what Sara’s answer will be. She’s not about to let anything stop her now.

“It’s all good. I’m fine, really. Beside, Officer Haught will be there with me just in case.” She smiles at Nicole who looks like she could throw up at any minute.

Gary hands them both a small earpiece and a device resembling a smartwatch.

“What’s this?” Sara questions him.

“That is your new coms unit. It will also monitor your vital signs and it tells time too.” He helps Nicole place the earpiece in her ear. “Just press here to talk to us, and then here when you want to see the menu. It’s pretty simple to use. I just need to make a few adjustments for personalization and you will be good to go.” He types feverishly on his handheld tablet. “And…done.”

“Alright, enough stalling, it’s time to go.” Sara says impatiently.

“Not so fast Lance.” Ava grabs and kisses her. “Please be careful. You haven’t done this sort of thing in a while; it’s a new ship and Nicole’s first time. Don’t do anything stupid. Okay?”

Sara grins, “When have I ever done…yeah…never mind. I promise to be smart this time.” She kisses Ava. “Haught, say your good-byes, it’s time to go.”

Nicole still looks a little green. Waverly hugs her, “You’ve got this baby. You’re my strong warrior. Promise me you’ll come back in one piece.” She smiles before kissing her.

Nicole nods and follows Sara to the secret elevator, awkwardly waving as the doors close.

Ava chuckles, “Is she alright?”

Waverly tries to distract herself from the momentary panic setting in, “Oh, yeah, she’s fine, just a little nervous but she’ll get over it soon enough.” She glances at Ava before continuing, “So how long does it usually take to travel thru time?”

++++++++++++++

“Gideon,” Sara calls out.

“Yes Captain Lance?” The AI responds.

Nicole is alarmed at the sound of the familiar voice. “Wait, what’s going on?”

Sara touches her arm. “It’s okay, I had the same reaction. This is a new version of the AI, Ray just reused the voice code. It’s sort of like Siri or Alexa. You know how they all sound the same?”

Waverly chimes in over the coms, “It’s a good thing you explained that Sara, I was just about to pull the plug on this little mission, there’s no way that evil computer was gonna get near my fiancée.”

“Down girl, we’ve got this,” Sara chuckles. “Gideon, plot a course for Finland, the year is 2002.”

“Yes Captain.” Gideon responds.

“Buckle up Haught, here we go. See you on the other side Base.”

+++++++++++++

Waverly slumps in her chair.

Ava assures her, “The blackout won’t last long. As soon as they pass thru the temporal zone we’ll be able to talk to them again.”

Seconds pass, Waverly holds her breath.

The coms crackle then go silent.

Waverly paces the floor.

More seconds pass.

Waverly bites at her bottom lip.

Even more seconds pass.

The coms crackle again.

“_WR2_ to Base, can you hear me” Sara’s voice is the first they hear.

“Sara, we can hear you.” Ava confirms.

“Nicole?” Waverly anxiously waits for a reply.

“maH naDev 'oH? toH ghe''or?” Nicole is startled by the sound of her own voice.

Waverly looks at Gary, “Was that..?”

“Klingon. Yes.” Gary confirms.

“Ah yeah, we forgot to tell you about the space sickness. It sometimes happens during time travel. It’ll wear off in a few seconds.” Sara pats Nicole on the back.

“Wow! That was a head rush.” Nicole quickly regains function of her brain.

“Are you okay baby?” Waverly needs confirmation.

“I’m good Waves, nothing to worry about.” Nicole wipes her brow and steadies her breathing.

“Alright then, Gideon, see if you can locate Anna Traske.” Sara hands Nicole a small knife. “Take this, you probably won’t need it but it’s better to be prepared.”

Nicole nods and takes the weapon. “So how does this work, I mean do we just find this woman and start asking her questions?”

Sara realizes she hasn’t thought things thru. “We probably need some sort of a cover.”

“You could pose as journalist. Say you’re there to interview them for a science magazine from the states?” Waverly suggests.

“That’s perfect.” Sara is pleased.

“Captain, I have a possible location on Miss Traske, it seems she and her father spend most of their time in the lab at the University. That would be the most logical place to look first.”

“You ready?” Sara checks with Nicole one last time before they exit the ship. “Just follow my lead. We don’t want to interact with too many people and only stay as long as we need to. Messing with history can have disastrous consequences as we have already learned. We won’t make that mistake again.”

+++++++++++++

They easily find the campus and begin their search. Nicole’s nervous jitters have turned into excitement. “Wow, I guess 2002 doesn’t really look that much different from the present.” She and Sara continue to walk.

“So, we know what Anna looks like but how will we know if we see her father or mother?” Sara asks the team.

Gary works next to Waverly. “I’m sending their pictures to you right now.”

“And I’m sending you walking directions to their lab,” Waverly adds.

“And both of you please be careful.” Ava adds.

+++++++++++++

They find the science building thanks to Waverly’s directions.

Inside, Nicole quietly follows Sara thru the dimly lit hallways. “This place is like a maze,” she whispers.

They reach the wing that houses all of the laboratories and find the door marked Dr. Traske.

Sara tries the knob, “Locked, we’ll have to find another way in.”

They turn to see a slender middle aged man approaching. They recognize him as he gets closer, “Can I help you?” he asks.

Sara flashes a smile, “Doctor Traske? Hi, we’re journalist and we were wondering if we could ask you and your daughter a few questions about your research.”

He pushes past them and unlocks his office door. “I’m sorry, I’m a very busy man and my office is closed for the day. You’ll have to come back tomorrow and make an appointment with my assistant.” He swiftly enters the room, closing the door behind him.

“Well, he’s not very friendly.” Waverly mumbles.

“We didn’t come here to have a door shut in our faces.” Sara turns the knob and enters the room, Nicole follows.

The room is large but empty. Its dark except for an overhead light near the back just above an exit sign, a second entrance Sara makes note. It smells of chemicals and sulfur, as if someone just blew out a match.

“We’re in. No sign of the Doctor or Anna.” Sara reports.

Ava pleads, “Just please, be careful.” She has a sinking feeling that something will go wrong.

Gary suggests, “See if you can find a sample of the serum. Sounds like Ray could use it.”

Sara finds a table full of glass vials holding varied colors of liquids, a microscope and what looks like some random notes and papers. She snaps some pictures with her wrist unit, “I’m sending you their notes.”

Nicole opens a small cabinet, inside are more vials, she finds one marked ‘Anti-Age Final’. “Hey, Sara, take a look at this.” She holds it up.

“Great, grab that and let’s get out of here.”

Suddenly the door in the back of the room swings open and the Doctor and another man enter. They’re talking and don’t notice Sara and Nicole ducking down behind a nearby cabinet.

They stop in the center of the room.

The Doctor speaks, “I understand what you are asking, but I’m not sure Anna will. She has only done this to save her mother; it’s not to be used for any other purpose.”

“Please, it is imperative that we get it, there are so many more people we can help.” The other man tells him.

“I will talk to her, Mr. Hunter.”

Gary whispers, “IS THAT...?”

Ava completes the sentence, “RIP?!”


	13. Nothing Is What It Seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara might get a superpower. Ava learns the truth. Nicole and Waverly ARE the team.

It takes every ounce of control for Sara not to leap up and grab this son of a bitch Rip Hunter by the throat. He’s so close, so very close. It would be so easy to end this, end him, right now. But she can’t. She can’t interfere with the past. It would only make things worse. She has to stay put, let things play out, for now.

Everyone stays radio silent waiting for the two men to leave the room.

Nicole has been holding her breathe for what feels like an eternity.

Waverly paces the floor.

Ava clenches her fists.

Gary can only sit, very still, clutching his tablet to his chest.

The two men finally leave.

Sara and Nicole come out of hiding.

“Nicole?” Waverly is trying not to panic, but the look on Ava’s face tells her they all need to be concerned.

“It’s okay Waves, we’re alright,” she tells them before standing in front of Sara who’s stuck staring at the door. “Sara…Sara, we need to go.”

“Sara, get out of there now!” Ava pleads with her. She’s kicking herself for not going with them. She could have at least stayed on the ship, out of sight. She should be there now, if nothing else, to keep Sara from doing anything rash.

Everything is moving in slow motion. Sara sees Nicole, and hears her, but not really. She’s so angry she swears she can hear the blood rushing thru her own veins. There is so much pressure in her head; it feels like it could explode. Her fists are clenched so tight that her hands are numb. Her breathing is rapid and shallow.

Alarms are going off back at the base.

Gary warns them, “Ah…Sara’s heart rate is dangerously elevated.

Ava is on the brink of panic. “Nicole, Sara, what is happening. Talk to us!”

Then Sara sees the look of horror on Nicole’s face, like she’s seen a ghost. “What? What is it?” she manages to form the words thru the pounding in her head.

“Sara…you’re…you’re invisible.” Nicole can’t believe what she is seeing, or not seeing.

“She’s WHAT?!” Ava shouts.

“I’m what?” Sara takes a deep breath. She looks at her hand and sure enough, there is nothing sticking out of the end of her sleeve. She’s invisible.

All color has drained from Nicole’s face now, like she’s seen a whole army of ghosts.

Sara instinctively goes into Captain mode. Turning off their comms, she quickly grabs Nicole, “Okay, I know you’re freaked out, but we have to stay calm. We don’t need to alarm anyone. This isn’t a big deal.” Even though it really is, but Sara doesn’t want to worry Ava and the rest of the team, it’s not like they can do anything about it right now any way, she tells herself.

Nicole shouts in a loud whisper, “NOT A BIG DEAL? Sara, you’re frickin’ INVISIBLE. As in, all I can see are your clothes…standing there.” She runs a hand thru her hair and grabs the back of her neck. “I think I need to sit down.”

“SARA?” Ava calls out.

Sara pleads with Nicole, “Please just stay calm. I’ll handle this.” She taps the comms back on. “It’s okay, it was just really dark. I’m here. We’re heading back to the ship now. We’ll talk to you then.” She taps the comms off again.

“Sara, what the hell is going on?” Nicole has seen some strange shit, but this just might be the strangest.

“If I had to guess, it has something to do with that damn serum.” She’s finally distracted enough from thoughts of ending Rip that her heart rate has returned to normal.

Nicole’s eyes widen again. She grabs Sara, “I can see you now. You’re not invisible anymore.”

Sara looks at her hand, “Okay, see, nothing to worry about. Now let’s get out of here.”

++++++++++++++

Ava is up and pacing along with Waverly.

“Is it just me, or was that way too close for comfort?” Gary busily taps at his tablet.

Waverly is trying very hard to stay calm. “And what was with Sara’s heart rate spiking like that? She doesn’t strike me as the easily angered type.”

“She’s not, well at least not anymore. Seeing Rip must have really triggered her.” Ava continues to pace. “Where are they? Come on Lance.”

Gary looks up from his tablet long enough to tell them, “Looks like they should be getting back to the ship right about now according to their devices.”

“Wait, you can track them?” Waverly scrunches her nose.

“Yes, but only while they’re wearing the unit,” Gary confirms.

“That’s a handy little gadget,” Waverly half mumbles under her breath, tucking that information away for later.

+++++++++++++

Sara heads straight to the whiskey and pours them both a shot.

Nicole is slightly unhinged. “Sara, what just happened? I mean, I saw what happened, but like _what the hell happened_. How…how did that happen?”

Sara hands her a drink. “I don’t know exactly. I remember feeling extremely angry, and just pictured tearing Rip apart with my bare hands. But I’ve never had that strong of a reaction before. Ray must be right, that stuff did change me.”

“Sara? Nicole?” Ava is trying to contact them.

Sara looks at her, “Let’s keep the whole invisible thing to ourselves until we get back home, okay?” She really doesn’t want to alarm Ava. This whole situation is stressful enough right now. There will be time to figure things out later.

“Yeah, sure, whatever you want Sara.” Nicole nods and pours out another shot.

Sara punches the comms, “We’re here Ava. Everything is fine.”

“Oh thank god,” Ava breathes a sigh of relief. “So Rip is there. Do you think he’s getting ready to make a move?”

Sara knocks back another shot, “He might be, but there’s no way to know which timeline _this_ Rip is from.” If there’s one thing she’s learned it’s that things aren’t always as they appear. “He could easily be from the past, or the future.”

Nicole adds, “At least we got a sample of the serum.”

Waverly steps up, “Good, now both of you come home so we can get it to Ray for testing.”

“We will,” Sara agrees, “But there’s one more thing we need to do.”

“Sara? You’re not going to…?” Ava stops mid-sentence.

“…Kill Rip?” Sara finishes it for her. “No, but I think we need to pay Anna a visit.”

“Ah guys, we have an incoming call from Felicity.” Gary tells them while he punches up the call.

“Felicity, what’s up?” Sara greets her.

“Hey Sara, everybody, I found some interesting information you might want to know. I did some more digging, turns out the Bureau’s servers _were_ re-purposed and I was able to locate them. Seems there’s a new branch of the Bureau in operation but I don’t recognize any of the names of the people running it. Anyway, I was able to hack in and according to Rip’s logs, Ava isn’t a clone, she’s the real deal. She’s Anna.”

“I’m sorry! I’m WHO NOW?!” Ava doesn’t know if she should laugh or cry or just be angry. Ever since they discovered Rip’s little secret about the clones, nothing has made sense. The only constant has been Sara’s deep desire to get to the truth and fix whatever is wrong.

“Felicity, are you sure?” Sara questions her.

“Rip had detailed logs for the previous 11 clones, but the only entry for Ava number 12 was this.” She tells them as the words fill their screen.

_\--- I don’t know how, but this time it’s not a clone. This Ava is the real Anna. What have I done? --_

Ava drops into a chair, “I…am…going to need a minute.”

Waverly sits next to her. “Isn’t this a good thing? If you are real, then you can stop the future clones and it won’t affect you. In fact, the clones never have to be manufactured and then they never take over the world.”

The initial shock is starting to wear off, Ava looks at her, “That’s a good point.”

“But wait,” Gary stops them, “if there are no clones then Rip never brings them to our present and we never meet our Ava. And you and Sara never fall in love.”

“Gary’s right,” Sara downs another shot. “As much as it pains me to say this, we can’t interfere in anything until we’re sure about this, we can’t risk messing up the timeline.”

“But how can we be sure that Ava is really Anna?” Nicole grabs the bottle of whiskey from Sara. This whole thing is complicated enough; she would very much appreciate it if Sara were mostly sober right now.

Felicity tells them, “Well the best way would be a DNA test. We would just need a sample from both Ava and Anna.”

“A sample,” Nicole questions, “as in a strand of hair or a fingerprint?”

“Yes, but ideally, a swab of the inside of her mouth. That would give us the most accurate results.” Felicity confirms.

“Sara, don’t.” Ava is standing now. It’s all she can say. It’s all she really needs to say.

“Ava, I have to. We’ll be quick.”

“And if there is any sign of Rip?”

“We’ll get out. I promise.” She waits for Ava to protest. Silence. “Gideon, get us an address, we have a sample to collect.”

Sara turns off the comms once again and turns to Nicole. “Thank you for not saying anything about the invisible thing.”

“Yeah, no I totally get it. Ava has enough to deal with right now.” Nicole does understand, she’s wondering how Waverly is handling everything, they’ve never been in this type of a situation and they can’t exactly check in privately with each other.

Sara thinks out loud, “Hell, maybe it was a one-time thing”

“But if it’s not, does that mean you have like a superpower now?”

“Captain, I have located an address.” Gideon informs them.

+++++++++++++

Ava’s eyes keep bouncing to the words on the screen. _This Ava is the real Anna._ If this is true, it means that she has a real family and a real past, not just some made up one. But why did Rip lie about it? And why doesn’t she remember anything? She doesn’t recognize either of these people. She has no memory of ever attending a university and certainly not graduating from one. If this is true, she’s a genius! Hell, if this is true, she’s an actual real human and not a damn clone after all.

“Ava, are you alright?” Gary’s voice snaps her out of her thoughts.

“What…yes…I’m…” Maybe she’s not as fine as she thinks. “It’s a lot to process.” That seems to be happening way to often recently.

“I can only imagine,” Gary tells her. “Why don’t you go upstairs and take a break. Waverly and I will see what else we can dig up on Anna.”

Part of her wants to do just that, put some distance between her and this reality shattering news, but she’d never forgive herself if something happened to Sara and Nicole while she was out somewhere trying to pull her shit together. “No, I should stay here, just in case…” She protests.

Waverly gently touches Ava’s shoulder, “Really, we’ve got this. Take a minute. This is big news. Go collect your thoughts.”

Ava finally concedes and heads upstairs to the penthouse.

Gary slumps in a chair, “I have got to say, I did not see that coming.”

Waverly agrees, “I know, poor Ava, this has to be quite a shock.”

+++++++++++++

The address for the Traske home takes Sara and Nicole to a seemingly nice quiet neighborhood. They pause before knocking on the front door.

Nicole has been a steady rock during this mission. Sara is gratefully impressed and very glad she’s on their team. “What’s the plan?” she stands next to Sara, ready for anything. “How do we get a complete stranger to open their mouth and let us take a sample of their DNA?”

“Actually, it’s going to be that easy. I’m going to tell her the truth.” Sara knocks on the door. “Just follow my lead and be ready to get out of here quickly.”

The door opens a few seconds later. A younger version of Ava stands in the doorway looking at them both. Sara doesn’t need a DNA test. She knows that is _her_ Ava with one look at her. Even though her hair is shorter and darker, the young woman’s eyes and smile leave no doubt in Sara’s mind.

The young woman speaks first, “Hello, may I help you?”

Sara is frozen, she never imagined there was ever a younger Ava, it just wasn’t possible, but here she is, right in front of her, right now, looking more beautiful and radiant then anything she’s ever seen, except for her own Ava, of course.

“Hi, are you Anna Traske?” Nicole steps forward and extends her hand. “I’m Nicole and this is my colleague Sara, we were wondering if we could talk to you about your research.”

“My research?” Anna shakes Nicole’s outstretched hand.

“Yes, you’ve been working on some pretty interesting discoveries.” Nicole’s dimpled smile seems to put Anna at easy quickly. Sara’s not the only one who can use her charms to get things done.

“Well, I was actually heading back to my lab when you knocked, seems my work there is never done.” Anna pulls the door shut behind her and passes them as she heads to her car.

“Oh, well this will only take a second then.” Nicole nudges Sara and they follow Anna.

Sara finds her voice, up until that moment she could only float in her own thoughts of what it would have been like to know this version of Ava. “Okay, look, Anna. Can I call you Anna? We’re from the future and we just need a quick sample of your DNA and then we’ll be gone. You won’t even remember that we were here.”

Anna stops and turns so quickly that she runs into Sara. “My DNA? Why?”

Their eyes meet for a split second but it’s just long enough. Sara reaches for her, “Do you trust me?” They hold each other’s gaze. Sara doesn’t believe it’s possible but she thinks she can see a spark between them.

Anna blushes and pulls away from Sara’s grip. “Oddly enough, I do.”

Nicole hands her the swab kit.

Sara looks at Anna and smiles. She gently collects the sample and passes it back to Nicole for safe keeping, all the while never taking her eyes off of Anna’s

“Did you say you’re name was Sara?” Anna looks to the ground before bringing her eyes up to lock onto Sara’s once again.

“Yes. Sara Lance.” Sara wants so desperately to tell young Anna that everything will be all right and that they will meet again, that they will fall in love, that they will be willing to risk everything for each other someday. Instead she settles for a smile.

“Well, um, it was very nice to meet you, Sara Lance.” Anna blushes for a second time. “And you as well.” She smiles at Nicole.

“Until we meet again,” Sara raises her wrist unit and presses the memory flash button, erasing this entire encounter from young Anna’s mind.


	14. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava deals with her new reality. Sara and Nicole return from the past. The team suits up.

Ava has had a little time to let the news sink in. It came as quite a shock, the fact that she _is_ human and not a clone. She’s dealing with it but she doesn’t like these emotions hitting her all at once.

Waverly and Gary find her in the penthouse, standing near the floor length windows, glaring out into the dark night.

Gary approaches. He wants to hug her, but they don’t really have an affectionate kind of friendship. They’re long past the boss-employee phase. He’s confided his own personal affairs to her numerous times, but hugging is still a boundary neither has crossed. At this moment, it just feels like she – like they both could use one.

He chooses a gentle touch to her arm instead and asks, “Ava, can I get you anything?”

Her glare stays fixed on the window as she sucks in a deep breath. “I don’t even know anymore.” It comes out sounding deflated, but she’s really just exhausted and missing Sara. Even though they are fiercely independent, she’s gotten comfortable knowing she has Sara to lean on in times like this. Right now, on top of everything she’s feeling, she’s honestly lost without her.

“I know,” he tries to console her. Although he doesn’t know, can’t even begin to know, what this must feel like. He was there when they discovered that Ava was a clone. She was shocked, she even passed out, but she pushed thru it. He’s always been impressed by her strength. He thought it was extraordinary, the way she learned to accept it and continue living her life.

“All this time,” she stands with her arms crossed tight against her chest, “All this time. I’ve been a human…the entire time.” She keeps waiting for it to stop stinging, the fact that she had doubted herself, felt less than normal. Waiting for the anger to lessen just enough so she can form words or have thoughts that don’t involve throwing something or worse hurting someone.

“I just don’t understand.” She looks at Gary, wants to grab him and shake him, but she paces the room instead. “If Rip knew, why would he let me think this?” She stops pacing, “Why would he do that to me? And why do I have no memory of my entire past…my entire past!” She paces again, “It was hard enough to accept when I thought I _wasn’t_ human and now…it was all a lie.” She stops and drops her arms as if to give up. “I have an actual family, a mother and a father, a _real_ family.” The facts are overwhelming, she’s so accustom to dealing with situations in a logical, unemotional manner that right now she feels like shutting down.

Waverly steps up and hugs her, “I’m sure there is an explanation for everything. We will _all _help you find it.” She has spent enough time around Ava and Sara to know that neither will stop until they have answers. “We’re here for you,” Waverly tells her. She knows, based on her own experience, how this feels. It was only a few months ago that she found out the truth about her own family.

The gentle hug seems to help and Ava lets out a soft sigh as she slips onto the couch. Her mind is still racing but just knowing she has support gives her a moment of relief.

Gary adds, “Yes, of course, whatever you need Ava.” It’s a relief knowing he’s part of a team again, even though he was only an honorary Legend, this means the world to him.

Sara and Nicole have come back from their trip. They made a quick stop in D.C. to drop off the sample and to tell the team there about Sara’s new found ability.

The mood in the room changes instantly.

Waverly jumps up to greet Nicole with a tight hug and gentle kiss. They hold each other and whisper ‘I love you’ and stay wrapped in each other’s arms even after the excitement subsides. The spark in Nicole’s eyes tells Waverly she’s happy to be home even though they weren’t gone that long.

Nicole enjoyed the trip but was very much looking forward to being back in the present, on solid ground, and holding Waverly in her arms. She’s far too wound up to focus and can’t wait to download all of the day’s events with Waverly.

Sara slides onto the couch beside Ava. The distraught look in her wife’s eyes makes her heart sink. She can’t stand what this emotional pain is doing to Ava.

“Hey.” Sara says with a soft smile and a touch to Ava’s hand. She sits very still, just looking into those beautiful eyes. She want’s – needs to fix everything, to make the hurt go away. Ava doesn’t deserve this, she’s kind and caring. Hell, it makes perfect sense that she _is_ really human and not some clone. Sara wonders why she hadn’t realized that sooner.

“Hey.” Ava replies. Her face brightens just a little when she sees Sara. Then she’s fighting back tears. They’re tears of joy; her Love is home and safe, mixed with tears of anger for everything Rip has put her thru. “I…”

“Shh, it’s okay Babe.” Sara can’t handle this and the more she thinks about it the angrier she gets, but that won’t solve anything right now. Right now she needs to be there for Ava.

Sara stands and extends her hand. Ava accepts it and they walk to their room together.

+++++++++++++

Once they’re behind closed doors, Waverly grabs Nicole and properly kisses her, bringing a bright smile to both their faces. Locked in Nicole’s embrace, Waverly brushes a finger against Nicole’s cheek, “I missed you.” With her hand on the back of Nicole’s neck, “I know you weren’t gone that long but still.”

Nicole softly brushes her lips against Waverly’s forehead, “I know, Baby. I missed you too.” Their lips meet and she can feel Waverly melt into her as she pulls her arms tighter.

It’s the soft moments like this that make Waverly fall deeper in love with her fiancée but she can see the spark in Nicole’s eyes and she knows if she doesn’t ask soon, Nicole could very well explode. “So tell me about the trip.”

They flop to the bed and Nicole falls back, covering her face with her hands, “Waves, that was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced.” Her thoughts are racing and it’s hard to pick a starting point. “I’m a time traveler!” she finally blurts out.

“I know. Pretty mind blowing.” It warms Waverly’s heart to see Nicole excited, and reinforces the fact that joining the team was a good choice.

“And working with Sara was…I felt like a real asset to her, you know? And when she…” She sits up and takes Waverly’s hands, “Waves, she turned invisible and then reappeared right in front of me. It was surreal.”

“Invisible? Wow that’s…”

“Incredible, yeah, I know. I didn’t believe it either but it happened. Sara asked me not to say anything until we got back. I’m not sure if she believes it’s real yet.”

“And Anna, you saw her?”

“Yes and there’s no question, Anna is Ava. I saw it in her eyes.”

“That must have been so weird for Sara.”

“It was. I think they had a connection too. It was almost like Anna knew.”

Waverly rests her head on Nicole’s shoulder, “Hmm, well I’m happy your home, Baby.”

Their lips meet again as Nicole tells her, “Me too.”

+++++++++++++

Ava resumes pacing once they’re in their bedroom. She’s still coming to terms with everything but she’s so very relieved that Sara is back and tells her as much.

“Look Aves, I know you’re upset.” Sara wants to console her but mere words aren’t enough at this point.

“Upset is putting it mildly Sara. I don’t even know where to begin. It’s all been a lie.” She tries to sit but then ends up pacing the room again.

“Babe,” Sara knows that she has to tell Ava what happened back at the lab, what seeing Rip did to her, “come and sit with me. There’s something else you need to know.”

Ava flops to the bed, “Oh great, there’s more.” A spiral of nerves mixed with anger and bitterness has been forming in her chest. This isn’t the normal way she processes and she doesn’t like it at all.

“Ava,” Sara takes her hand, “Look at me, babe. I love you. We’re going to find Rip and get answers, even if I have to beat it out of him. We will get to the bottom of it, I promise.” With a gentle touch to Ava’s face, she continues “I…you need to know, back there in the lab, the rage I felt.”

“Sara, what’s going on?”

“It was brief, only lasted a minute or so.” She’s not sure how to explain it, “I was _not_ visible. I couldn’t see my own hand, and Nicole couldn’t see me either.” Without a scientific explanation, that’s the best way she can find to describe it.

“Sara?” Ava searches Sara’s eyes, hoping to find that she’s joking.

“Ray thinks it’s the serum…and maybe the nanites. He thinks it was probably triggered once my heart rate went berserk. He’s running more tests. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, but I wanted to tell you in case it happens again.”

Ava realizes she’s not joking. To be honest, she’s relieved to have something else to focus on, “I’m glad you told me.” She brushes a stray hair from Sara’s face. “So what does this mean, you have like a superpower now?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it that way. I don’t know. Maybe?” The events happened so quickly, she really hadn’t thought about it beyond getting back home. “I’m not so sure it’s a useful superpower though. I mean, it’s not very cool. And how tough can I be if people can’t even see me?”

“Babe, you don’t need to be seen to be tough, besides since when have you ever worried about what people think of you?” Ava tells her.

Sara smiles, “Good point, but enough about me and some silly powers, we need to find Rip and end this thing, the sooner the better.” Her crystal blue eyes are on Ava’s mouth as she pulls Ava’s hair back and kisses her neck, “So we can go on living happily ever after.”

Ava lets her head fall back as she sinks into the warm sensation of Sara’s lips on her skin. “Well, I can’t argue with that.” She loves that Sara can change gears so quickly and this is a welcomed alternative to the anger she’s been carrying around.

Sara flashes her grin, “Besides, we should be celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?” Ava’s body responds as the tension lessens with each strategic touch of Sara’s mouth on her neck.

“…the fact that you’re a real human.” Sara runs her lips down Ava’s neck, kissing the base as she reaches for the top button of Ava’s shirt.

“I thought it didn’t matter to you?” Ava gently pushes her and unbuttons her shirt, pulling it off her shoulders as it falls to the bed.

Sara pauses to admire her, whispering, “My god, you’re beautiful.” Then says, in between kisses, “It doesn’t, but Babe, it’s always mattered to you.” She pulls Ava closer and continues softly kissing her neck.

“You know what, you’re right. It has always mattered but it’s time to let it go.” Ava can’t resist as the last bit of tensions fades. She pulls Sara to her and kisses her. Even when she’s mad at the world, being with Sara makes it all seem less important.

They fall back and Sara straddles her, “Mmm…I love it when you tell me that.”

Ava reaches for her, “What? That you’re right?”

Sara arches an eyebrow, “Yes, keep saying it.” Their bodies press together.

Ava whispers, “Enough talking, Lance.”

+++++++++++++

The next morning the team converges in the command center.

Ava and Sara are focused, their only priority is to find Rip and end his hold on them.

Gary has been hard at work behind the scenes getting their equipment ready. He calls them all over to the side of the room where there are four large cases against the wall. He starts, “As you know, we were able to salvage the fabricator’s technology from the Waverider. I’ve been working on these for a while and they’re finally ready.” The cases light up. “These are your new tact suits. Each one individually customized for you. They’re state of the art and can protect you from all most anything.”

“All most anything?” Nicole interrupts.

Gary smiles and continues, “Yes, bullets, knives, lasers, the usual stuff. It isn’t armor though so you can still be injured by say heavy objects flying at you or falling from high places, those types of things.”

Waverly nods, “Good to know, I guess.”

Sara steps closer, “Black. Nice.”

Gary tells her, “Sara, I have your white suit and can modify it if you’d rather wear that?”

“No need. I’m not that person anymore, _this_ is my team now.” She pats him. “Good work Gary.” Addressing the rest of the team she tells them, “Okay, so we need a new plan. We need to find Rip, he’s the key to this whole thing.”

Waverly moves back to the desk, “Well, we can’t interfere with him in the past because we need him to take Anna and her family to the future.”

“Right. And we know that things start to go terribly wrong for them right around 2219.” Gary adds.

“Okay, so we just find him in 2219.” Sara checks in with Ava, “You okay with this?”

Ava nods, “I’m more than okay, but Sara, I want to be the one to kick his ass.”

Sara grins, “Babe, he’s all yours. Alright team, suit up, we’ve got to see a man about an ass-kicking.”


	15. Rip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visitor finally answers Ava's questions.

Sara reviews the plan with the team as everyone takes their places. This will be Waverly’s first time. She’s charged with excitement and a little nervous but she can’t wait to experience time travel. She finds herself momentarily distracted by the sight of Nicole sitting across from her all decked out in her black tact suit. She leans forward and whispers, “Baby, do you think we can take these suits to our room later?”

“What for Waves?” Nicole whispers back.

Her eyes drop to survey Nicole’s body, a cute smirk curls her lips. She almost purrs, “I just really like seeing you in black.” 

“Waves,” Nicole’s eyes go wide, “Stay focused. This is serious stuff. It could be dangerous.” Then with the biggest smile she can manage she says, “But I don’t see why not.”

From the cockpit, Sara calls out, “Gideon, plot a course for Vancouver. Gary, you all set?” She waits for a response. “Gary?”

Ava taps at the comms switch, “Gary? Are you there? What’s going on?”

Seconds pass before he responds, his voice sounding uneven, “Ah Sara, Ava, we have a slight problem.”

Sara huffs, “Now what?”

“Umm, there’s someone here to see you.” His words are deliberate. “I think you’ll be cancelling your plans.” His voice is unusually high.

Sara grows impatient and barks, “GARY! Who is it?”

He sounds defeated as he tells them, “Uh…well, it’s Rip.”

“Keep him there, we coming in.” Sara orders him.

+++++++++++++

Sara has both of her hands on Rips throat, her crystal blue eyes growing dark as she growls, “I am going to tear you apart with my bare hands.” Her face is incredibly close to him but he remains calm, almost smug.

Ava reaches them, stopping Sara before anything can happen, “Sara, wait. We need answers. I need answers.”

Waverly and Nicole rush to Gary who is visibly shaken at this point. He lets out a sigh, relieved that he’s not alone with Rip anymore.

Sara releases her grip and shoves him backwards, “He better start talking.”

Rip falls back into a chair and clears his throat. He studies the room before speaking. “Hello Sara, Ava. How have you been? I see you’ve made some new friends,” nodding towards Waverly and Nicole.

Sara snarls, “This isn’t some happy family reunion, Rip. Cut the crap. The only reason you’re still alive right now is because Ava needs answers, otherwise I would have ended you already.” Her gaze is fixed on him like she’s telepathically keeping him in his place.

Without breaking from Sara’s gaze he replies, “I’ll be happy to tell you everything. Where shall we start?”

Sara pauses, she’s pictured this moment ever since they realized what was happening. She wants to make him suffer for hurting Ava, and even though her assassin days are long over, the mere thought has her on the edge of doing things she knows she might regret later.

Ava approaches, “First things first, we’re putting you in the holding cell. It’s for everyone’s safety. Gary and Nicole, would you mind escorting Rip?”

Nicole questions under her breath, “Holding cell?”

Gary answers, “Yeah, it’s SOP, all secret lair-bat cave-bunker type-command centers have one.”

Waverly grabs her key card from the desk, “I’ll unlock it for you.”

Nicole rolls her eyes, “You knew about it too? Why am I the last to know?”

“It’s okay, Baby.” she falls in behind them as they walk Rip out.

Ava grabs at the back of her neck, her entire body tensed at the sight of Rip, “What the hell is happening? Is it really him? What if he’s not alone?”

Sara paces as she tries to put the mental image of tearing him apart aside for now, “I don’t know, but let’s go find out.”

Ava grabs for her and pulls her close, “Sara, be careful. Don’t let him get to you.”

Sara tucks a stray strand of hair behind Ava’s ear, a gesture she’s made dozens of times by now, her eyes are soft once again as she looks into Ava’s. “Babe, I promise. He’s in our house now. We’re in control.” Sara’s touch temporarily relaxes Ava and she can feel Ava’s grip loosen as she continues, “He can’t hurt us anymore.”

“I know,” Ava wants to make sure Sara understands the gravity of their situation, “but this is as an opportunity to get closure. I need you to stay calm. Don’t do anything to him until…”

Sara smiles, her face glows when she looks at Ava. She pulls their bodies close together and kisses her softly. “Babe, I promise. I won’t do anything until you have what you need.”

+++++++++++++

Gary and Nicole escort Rip to the holding cell, although it’s really just a sectioned off corner of their storage room that’s been enclosed with a tempered glass door.

Waverly swipes the key card and steps aside as he enters under his own power.

Gary pushes the clear glass door closed. The only sound is the faint click as the lock engages.

Nicole tells him, “Waves and I will go monitor the security cameras in case he’s not alone.”

Gary nods and turns to leave but Rip’s eyes are on him, he can feel it. “I think what you’ve done to Ava and Sara is disgraceful,” he manages thru clenched teeth. He takes some satisfaction in knowing that Rip is finally locked up even if it seems to be voluntary.

Rip squares his jaw, “So, you’re best friends with them now?”

Gary keeps his back turned. He sucks air into his lungs and swallows the acid creeping up in his throat. He has anticipated this day just as much as anyone, the day Rip would answer for his actions. “They’re good people. I consider them family, something you wouldn’t understand.”

Rip moves closer to the door, “Oh but I do understand, perfectly.”

Gary turns to face him, “Why did you come here? You had to know that Sara would never go with you and certainly never give up Ava.”

“You’re right about that. In fact, that is precisely what I have been counting on.” He drops his head and leans against the wall.

Sara taps Gary on the shoulder, “We’ve got this now, thanks Gary.”

Ava adds, “Stay close to Nicole and Waverly, this isn’t their fight. I don’t want anything to happen to them.”

He nods and leaves them.

Rip speaks first, “So, you’ve got yourself a new team. Seems they’ll do anything for you, I see.” His tone is more mocking than matter of fact.

Sara plans to remain calm for Ava’s sake, but she can tell Rip isn’t going to make this easy. “They’re good people, they’re here because they want to help and they care about us.”

“Funny, that’s what Gary said about the two of you.” Rip turns his back to them.

“Enough small talk.” Ava stares at the back of Rips head, her fists clenched. She won’t wait any longer for answers, “Why the hell did you let me believe I was a clone?”

Rip takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders before answering. “Ah, I see you found out.” He turns to face her. His tone softens when he speaks to her, “Ava, I truly am sorry about that. It wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to be you.”

“What wasn’t supposed to happen?” Ava wants to reach thru the glass and shake the answers out of him.

“Having your memory erased. I didn’t know it was you, the real you. I didn’t find out until after and then it was too late.” Rip drops his head, averting he eyes.

“I don’t understand. You’re not making any sense.” Ava isn’t in the mood for games.

“I have felt awful about it. I wanted to tell you.” He keeps his head down.

Sara interrupts, “Okay, this isn’t going anywhere.” She touches Ava’s shoulders in an effort to ground her before looking back at Rip, “Why don’t you start by telling us about Anna Traske. How did she end up in the future with you?”

Rip leans his head against the glass door, “That is a very long story.”

Sara is growing impatient but she promised Ava, “Well how about you give us the short version.”

“She…” he makes direct eye contact with Ava for the first time, “_you_ were brilliant.” His eyes drop again. He can’t let them see his pain. “The plague hit us hard. We tried everything, even looked to history for a cure, or at least a way to stop it from spreading. We found your research. You and your father discovered a way to save your dying mother. It was a miracle. We hoped it could save us too. I convinced you to go with me, to help the human race. It wasn’t difficult. You were so kind, so willing to help.”

Ava takes a deep breath for what feels like the first time in several minutes, “What about my mother and father?”

“We put them in a safe house. That was your only condition. That they were taken care of while you were gone.” He turns his back to them.

“Are they…still alive?” Ava can’t believe she is asking this question, can’t believe that she is finally getting answers. She hadn’t allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to have a real family until this moment.

“They are very much alive.” He confirms.

Ava’s legs go weak, his words ringing in her ears. Sara wraps an arm around her waist for support. Rip keeps his back to them, unable to witness the hurt he has caused her.

She lets the news sink in. Her parents are still alive. She does have a real family. She gets her bearings quickly and continues, “Do they know…about me?”

Shifting his weight, still looking away, he tells her, “They know you are alive. They think you are still out saving the world with me.”

Ava leans into Sara, her face goes blank. “But I’m here instead.”

“Yes, and that is where things get complicated.” He slides his hands in the pockets of his dusty brown overcoat, thinking about his next words, “You were able to guide the doctors to a cure, but the devastation to the race was catastrophic. That’s when they decided to use your clone research. You helped them develop the program that would help repopulate the planet. It took almost twenty years. Things were perfect for a time, and then outsiders got involved. The clones became more aggressive, even violent. The Time Masters had to step in.”

Ava grabs at the back of her neck again, “So let me get this straight. I made clones that looked like me?”

Sara curls her mouth sideways, “That was a damn good choice too.”

“We used your DNA, you were the only human that hadn’t been infected. It was the most logical choice,” Rip tells them.

“Makes sense,” Sara gently relaxes her grip on Ava, “So that’s when you brought the clones back, but what about the real Anna, how did that happen?”

“I don’t know exactly, we were on our twelfth try. I thought she was a clone.” He runs a hand thru his hair, “I erased her memory like I had done with all of the others. It wasn’t until Anna went missing that I discovered she had switched places with the clone. It was too late.” He covers his face, “I was devastated. Your years of research, your memory, your true identity, it was all gone in an instant.”

Ava’s steadies herself against Sara, “But why would I do that? Didn’t I know you would erase my memory?”

“I don’t know. You must have had a reason.” Rip’s body gives way to exhaustion as he slides down the wall and ends up in a heap on the floor. “Would you mind if we took a break? I’ve had a very long journey, and I’m feeling quite tired.”

+++++++++++++

Ava sits at the table near a corner of the command center. Sara pours them each a shot. Gary, Nicole and Waverly join them.

Nicole reports, “The perimeter is secure, no unusual activity so far. I’ve increased the camera scans just to be safe.”

Sara raises her glass towards them and nods.

Waverly slips into a chair beside Ava, “Do you think he’s telling the truth? Do you believe you’re parents are still alive?

Ava downs the shot before setting the glass on the table, “Honestly, I’m not sure what to believe.” She’s been replaying the conversation over and over in her mind, “He sounds sincere, but I seriously doubt whether we can trust him.”

“Well, we could run Felicity’s facial recognition programs. Maybe we’ll get a hit.” Waverly tells her.

Nicole adds, “That’s a good idea, Waves. I’ll give you a hand.”

As they walk away Waverly quips, “We seriously need to get you out of that suit, and soon. You’re really distracting me.”

Sara chuckles as she slips into the vacated chair next to Ava. “So babe, what do you say we finish this up?” Her eyes sweep across Ava, “I agree with Waverly about these suits.”

Ava scoffs, “Really Sara? How can you be thinking about sex right now?”

Sara curls her mouth into a grin, “Hello, have you met me?”

“Sara.” Ava sounds stern but deep down she’s happy for the distraction.

“You’re right. I’m sorry Babe,” Sara’s eyes sparkle, “just trying to lighten the mood.”

Ava takes Sara’s hand and interlaces their fingers together. “I know Babe. And I love you for that.” They sit in silence. Ava’s mind processing before she continues. “I think I’ve heard all I need to from Rip. I mean, nothing will change what has happened. I’m really ready for this whole thing to be over.”

Sara kisses the back of Ava’s hand, “Alright then, consider it done. Did you want to come with me?”

Ava leans in and kisses her, “No, I think I’m going to go work on finding my parents. Take Nicole with you just in case he tries something.”

+++++++++++++

Sara finds Rip in the same spot he was in when they left him, in a pile on the floor. She approaches and calls out to him, “Alright Rip, you’re little break is over. Now it’s my turn to get some answers.”

He remains motionless.

She moves closer, “Rip, come on. Wake up.” She knocks on the glass door.

He doesn’t move.

Nicole steps closer, “Is he alive?”

“I think he’s breathing.” Sara knocks again, this time louder.

“Should we go in there?” Nicole asks.

“No, that’s exactly what he wants. It’s the oldest trick in the book.” Sara tells her. She knocks a third time with more force, “Rip wake up.”

His stirs and raises his eyes to meet Sara’s, “Oh good, you’re back.” His words are slow and labored.

Sara crouches, “What’s going on Rip?”

“Sara,” he coughs, “I had hoped I would find you before this happened. I wanted to explain.”

“What do you mean, before what happened?” Sara kneels next to the door.

“I’m afraid I’m out of time.” He struggles for air to push the words out, “But you need to know…I am sorry…for everything, for Ava…the serum…all of it.”

“Rip, this doesn’t make sense.” Sara searches his face, looking for any indication that this might be a trick.

“It doesn’t have to make sense, Sara. This is how it ends.”

“Ends? No. We still have questions. What about the Time Masters? Are we still in danger? Are they coming to take Ava?” Sara isn’t sure what is happening, but she can’t let things end without knowing the truth.

“No,” he coughs again, “now that Ava knows her true identity, the future will rewrite itself again. The threats are no longer valid, she will right my wrongs. The two of you will cement a different future, one based on love.”

Ava rushes into the room and kneels beside Sara, “Rip, what did you do?”

“Ava, I’m sorry.” His eyes are sunken and almost lifeless. “It was the only way you could be free.” He exhales, his eyes go dark as his heads falls to the side and then he’s gone.

Ava slumps into Sara arms, they sit holding each other, in shock.

Gary unlocks the cell door and kneels next to Rip’s limp body, checking for a pulse but doesn’t find one. “He’s gone, he’s really gone.” He tells them.

Ava can only say, “Sara, what did he do?”

Sara lightly touches Ava’s face and looks deep into her eyes before telling her, “I think he sacrificed himself to change your destiny.”

+++++++++++++

Waverly pushes Nicole against the door and kisses her. This is the first chance they’ve had to be alone all day. Nicole slips her arms around Waverly’s waist and leans into the kiss as Waverly presses her body against her.

“Hey,” Waverly says with a smile. “What do you say we get you out of that suit?”

Nicole drops her chin and looks at her with warm brown eyes. “But I thought you liked it on?” she smiles and softly kisses Waverly.

“Mm, I do,” Waverly curls a finger in Nicole’s hair, “but now I want it off.” She reaches for the zipper and slides it down slowly as she kisses Nicole’s neck and then moves to her shoulder as she pushes the fabric aside.

Nicole breathes in and kisses her again as she walks them both to the bed. “I’m glad no one but you noticed I still had it on.”

“I know. They weren’t worried about us though, what a day huh?” Waverly drops to the bed and smiles up at Nicole.

“Yeah, I definitely didn’t think it would end the way it did.” Nicole sits down beside her. “Do you think we can actually find Ava’s parents?”

“Honestly,” Waverly laughs, “I think anything is possible after what we’ve seen.” She slides her hands inside Nicole’s suit and pushes it off of her shoulders, “Now about this suit.”


	16. It's Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly get some private time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning this chapter is NSFW.

A few days have passed since Rip invaded the command center and confirmed that Ava is indeed human and that she has honest to goodness real parents who are alive. Their reunion with him was, however, cut short by his sudden and completely unexpected demise, but not before he could answer Sara’s one question. Are they still being hunted? His answer gave them some closer.

Nicole and Waverly took advantage of the break and headed back to Purgatory to take care of a few things. Mainly, they needed to tell Wynonna about their recent engagement. She was wonderfully supportive of their news, as expected, but not so happy about their plans to leave Purgatory. Her reaction to the later was no surprise either.

Waverly’s older sister is intensely protective and a bit controlling in all matters concerning her baby sister. Nicole is certain Wynonna is dramatically over compensating for being separated from Waverly for a number of years. Nicole thinks it’s admirable to love someone so entirely, but not at the risk of keeping them from having other healthy relationships. It won’t be easy for Wynonna to let go, but she loves Waverly and wants her to be happy.

The subject was left up for future discussion to appease Wynonna, but she insisted on some conditions before they could let the topic go all together. Nicole was made to promise that she would protect Waverly at all cost and that Wynonna is welcome to visit them anytime. That should go without saying anyway, Nicole respects and even loves her sister-in-law-to-be and would never dream of keeping Waverly from her for any reason. That seemed to be enough for Wynonna for now.

They decide to spend their last night at Nicole’s place as they finish packing the last few things they’ll take with them. Since there’s no food in the house, they end up ordering a pizza and enjoying the quiet as they digest the prior week’s events.

“So, Rip just died right there in the holding cell?” Waverly asks. She witnessed it on the security cameras but they haven’t really spoken about it since.

“It was so strange, it was like one minute he was talking to Sara and the next minute he’s taking his last breath.” Nicole tells her.

“Does Sara know why?”

“I’m not sure, but I heard her telling Ava that he scarified himself to save her.”

“What does that even mean?” This is all so new to both of them. Being caught up in someone else’s adventures, and not knowing the stories or their history has Waverly itching to get back to the command center so she can dive into the research.

Nicole shrugs, “I don’t know. I’m sure we’ll find out. But right now their focus is on finding Ava’s parents.”

The pizza arrives and their attention turns to decisions about their own future.

They’ll have their own space when they get back to Haven, Sara and Ava promised them a private living space on a separate floor. Having a space they can call home was welcome news, but they decided that Nicole will keep the lease active for her apartment just in case they decide that living in a hotel and traveling thru time doesn’t turn out to be as fun as it sounds. They could always move into the homestead with Wynonna if it came to that, but the apartment is cheap and the neighborhood’s not bad for Purgatory. Nicole’s cop training kicks in and she rationalizes that it never hurts to have a backup plan.

Calamity Jane, Nicole’s feline companion, will stay with Sheriff Nedley. He says he doesn’t like cats, but Randy Nedley has a soft spot for _that damn_ _cat_ and Nicole trusts him. He showed up an hour ago with tearful hugs and words of advice before whisking her off in a brand new carrier.

“Are you sure you’re okay leaving Calamity Jane with Nedley?” Waverly asks as they sit down to their feast of vegan pizza and a shared can of some IPA called Pink Sexy Fog that’s been in the back of the fridge for a while.

Nicole can remember the first time she saw the ginger cat at the animal shelter. Calamity Jane rubbed up against her with a soft meow then flopped on her back so Nicole could rub her belly and the rest was history. She had just moved back to Purgatory after splitting up with Shae and wasn’t really ready to be completely alone. She figured a cat would be the logical choice. They’re mostly low maintenance and good company if you find a friendly one, so she’d heard. Plus, don’t they take points off of your lesbian card unless you own a cat at least once?

“Yeah,” Nicole answers. “They’ll be good for each other. Besides, I haven’t been spending much time with her lately. She’s better off with him.” She’s not sure if she’s saying that to convince Waverly or herself. Either way, it’s true.

Waverly feels for the poor cat, here all alone and nods in agreement, “Well, we won’t be that far away and I’m sure Nedley will let you visit her.”

“It’s harder to say goodbye than I thought it would be.” Nicole sips the tart but fruity beer, her lips pucker before she continues, “I’ve sort of gotten close to Sheriff Nedley. In a way, he’s like a father figure to me. He’s taught me a few things, like how to be a good cop,” she runs her fingers thru her hair, “and how to deal with the patriarchal bullshit.”

“I know,” Waverly takes the shared beer and with a prideful smile, tells her, “But he didn’t _teach_ you how to be a good cop. You figured that out all on your own, baby. I’m so proud of you for working so hard. Now you’ll have new opportunities without having to deal with all of the politics. I mean, you know Sara and Ava fully support you. They asked us to join the team and they hardly know us, but they see our potential.” Her gaze turns pensive as she continues, “And if things don’t work out then we have other options, right?”

The comment has Nicole wondering if Waverly still has doubts. It was one thing when they were just talking about it, but now the day has actually arrived, the day she has to leave her home and her family. Nicole can’t blame her either. So much has happened, granted not directly to them, but they both need to be sure this is the right decision.

Waverly starts to clear the table and Nicole reaches out to stop her. “Baby, I know this isn’t easy for you. You’ve been here your whole life and I’m asking you to leave it all to go live with strangers. I want you to know how much it means to me.”

“Nicole, it’s really okay. I’m not doing this just to make _you_ happy. I want this too. Besides,” a sly grin forms at the corners of her mouth, “they still owe me a trip in that spaceship.”

“It’s a Timeship.” Nicole corrects, her dimples popping as she smiles and pulls Waverly into her arms.

Waverly beams back as she straddles Nicole’s lap, the wooden chair creeks under their shared weight as Waverly absently twirls fingers thru the back of Nicole’s hair. “Right, well whatever you want to call it, I’m getting a ride in it,” she declares before planting a soft lingering kiss on Nicole’s lips.

Nicole drops her chin between kisses and teases, “I think you just want an excuse to wear the suits again.”

Waverly’s eyes spark and she bites at her lower lip as a heat flushes her cheeks and an instant ache forms between her legs at the thought of seeing Nicole dressed all in black again. She loves the way it shows off her fiancée’s fit body and she purrs, “Mm, yes the suit.”

Nicole knows she struck a nerve. It only takes a second before Waverly’s hands are in Nicole’s hair, grabbing at the back of her neck and pulling their mouths together.

Nicole’s body responds, desire welling up deep inside. She finds the hem of Waverly’s shirt, pulling it off between kisses, and letting it drop to the floor. She smiles, “Is that a new bra?” but doesn’t wait for an answer as her lips trail down Waverly’s neck, pausing to inhale the sweet scent of Waverly’s skin as she whispers, “You’re so beautiful.”

Their mouths come crashing back together as Waverly works the buttons of Nicole’s shirt, pushing it open and pressing warm hands to strong shoulders, then playfully grabbing a handful of Nicole’s hair and tugging her head back. Their mouths part, thru heavy breaths she whispers, “I want you,” then orders, “Let’s go upstairs,” before she presses back in and parts Nicole’s lips with her tongue. Nicole responds with a soft whimper as she lifts Waverly and stands up.

There’s a purposeful intent in Waverly’s eyes as she slides off of Nicole’s lap. It wouldn’t be the first time they had sex on that chair but tonight she has plans that involve more than just a momentarily quick release from the now dull throb between her legs. She takes Nicole’s hand and turns towards the stairs, her movement fluid and sensual, very aware of her actions, with only one thing on her mind.

Nicole starts to follow but suddenly stops, always the cautious and aware cop, she says, “Go on. I need to lock up.” Waverly frowns, a slight pout forming at the corners of her mouth and it’s all Nicole can do not to grab her and kiss her. “Go. I promise I’m right behind you.” She waves a hand, hoping Waverly will allow her to secure the house before they don’t make it upstairs at all.

Waverly drops her eyes and releases her grip, “Okay but hurry. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Nicole watches as Waverly glides across the floor, her long silky hair cascading off of bare shoulders as she bends to retrieve her discarded shirt along the way. She glances back and winks just in case Nicole needed anymore motivation.

_Message received_.

Nicole quickly clears the table of their dinner and checks the lock on the front door before bounding up the stairs. Practicality giving way to anticipation, knowing the mood Waverly is in, the surprise could be anything.

Upstairs, she finds Waverly kneeling on the bed wearing one of Nicole’s old uniform shirts. She looks amazing and Nicole is so very pleasantly surprised. The shirt is unbuttoned and Nicole can see the soft outline of Waverly’s breasts, firm stomach, and pink lace panties peeking thru. A devilishly sexy smirk curls Waverly’s lips as her hands slide down the fabric; stopping just at her waist and parting the shirt open ever so slightly. She watches Nicole’s eyes follow her movements all the while biting at her own lower lip.

_Surprise indeed._

Nicole stands speechless, feeling like the luckiest woman alive right now. Her mind races, she tries to speak, to tell Waverly how incredible she looks, and how she wants to pull that shirt off and take her right now, but she’s frozen. Instead she stands there, her brown eyes wide, mouth suddenly dry, heat growing between her legs. She finally manages thru parched lips, “Ah wow baby. You…you look…wow.” The familiar ache works thru her core as she wets her lower lip with her tongue and smiles.

Waverly drops her chin and grabs at the hem of the shirt before coyly saying, “I wasn’t sure if this was your thing or not.” She knows damn well what this is doing to Nicole and she’s enjoying every minute of this sensual tease.

They lock eyes as she slips off the bed and Nicole reaches out pulling her closer.

Waverly slips into her arms, their heat multiplying as their bodies press together in the embrace, their lips melting into each other.

Nicole rests her hands on the soft curve of Waverly’s back and finds her words again, “Uh, you in nothing but my shirt, I’m pretty sure that’s everybody’s thing, baby.” She says with a wide smile that tells Waverly her plan is working.

“So you like what you see then?” Waverly asks. She knows the answer, it’s written all over Nicole’s face but she wants to hear it just the same. She likes driving Nicole crazy, being sexy, doing sexy things to get her going, to get them both going.

“Yes, I do. You are so hot and I love this.” Nicole’s eyes say the rest as they flit down Waverly’s body before meeting her gaze again.

Waverly pulls away, “Good,” she tells her and moves to the bed to retrieve a box from underneath. Nicole is temporarily dazed. It’s bad enough they constantly get interrupted by Wynonna but now Waverly is putting on the brakes? Waverly continues, “Because, I’ve got another surprise.” Grinning, she hands a package to Nicole and says, “It came.”

Nicole adjusts quickly to the sudden delay and holds the box out, “Is this the…?”

Waverly answers with a nod and a soft hiss, “Yes. I was worried it wouldn’t get here until after we left.”

Nicole looks at her, “You haven’t opened it?”

“No,” Waverly tells her. “It came while you were in the shower earlier. I wanted us to open it together.”

“You’ve known it was here all day?” Nicole arches an eyebrow, “So, that’s what’s gotten into you,” she chuckles. Nicole didn’t really need a reason other than they love each other and really enjoy sex, but this explains Waverly’s mood tonight.

“Yes, and it’s been driving me crazy.” She leans in with a kiss, “Open it.”

Nicole sets the box between them on the bed, “I’m impressed you lasted this long.”

Waverly swats at her, “Oh stop.” Then pleads, “Baby, open it.” She wiggles and lets out a little ‘eeee’ as she softly claps her hands, barely able to contain her excitement.

Nicole tears the tape from the outer box and removes a plain white package. She comments, “Wow, they weren’t kidding when they said they’re discrete.” She opens it and stares at the contents inside. “It’s purple,” she observes before removing it from its inner packaging, “and smaller than I thought it would be.”

Waverly frowns, “Smaller? You don’t like it?

“I didn’t say that, it’s just not what I expected.” Nicole drops the toy back into the box.

Waverly picks it up, turning it in her hand, she says, “Well, I _did_ research it and it’s a normal size, they’re molded after real ones.” She shrugs, “Anyway, it’s not the size that matters.”

Nicole gives her a sideways glance, “Really?”

They laugh together as Waverly reaches back in the box, “And the harness is adjustable. It got four and half out of five stars on the website.” A fact she was impressed with even if she didn’t know much about this particular subject.

Nicole grins, “Well baby, I trust your research but I say we find out for ourselves.”

They’ve had a few brief conversations about adding toys to the bedroom. Their sex life is already amazing, but when Nicole walked in on Waverly shopping online for this particular toy, the conversation suddenly went deeper, so to speak. But Nicole wants Waverly to be satisfied in every way possible, and if Waverly wants her in a strap-on, then she’s all in.

Waverly pushes the box aside, “Oh we will!” she declares. Then kissing Nicole on the cheek as she jumps up, “But let me wash it first,” she says and disappears into the bathroom.

++++++

The harness needs a few quick adjustments but once it’s secure they quickly find a perfect position, Nicole sitting at the end of the bed, Waverly straddling her. The power has shifted and Waverly is in control of everything that happens next. Their eyes are locked on each other, Nicole’s hands on Waverly hips keeping her grounded while Waverly grips Nicole’s shoulders for leverage as she rides into an explosive orgasm. One of many she will have this night.

At one point Waverly is on her knees with Nicole behind her and it’s hot and rough and incredibly intense. It’s different from the tender passionate sex they usually have, but still very intimate, and they’re both totally into it. From this position Nicole can watch as Waverly rolls her back and hips, muscle straining to keep it together before another wave of release consumes her. Nicole likes watching and her body tenses in response as they come together for the third or fourth time. She’s lost count by now.

Nicole’s legs start to feel a little weak and she’s sure Waverly is done but she rocks back, silently asking for more, and Nicole responds by flipping her over and pulling Waverly’s legs apart in one seamless motion as she slides on top. The show of strength stirs even more arousal and Waverly hooks her legs around strong hips for leverage as they crash into yet another orgasm.

They’re finally still for a while before Nicole slips the harness off and slides back into bed cuddling up beside a sleeping Waverly who stirs just long enough to let Nicole pull the covers up around them before drifting back to sleep.

It’s better than either of them could have imagined and Nicole can’t believe they waited this long to try something new.

She smiles, certain they will_ absolutely_ be doing that again.


	17. How Many Earths?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visitors from another Earth offer to help Ava regain her memory. The team "holds down the fort".

The sun is rising just above the tree line. Dew kissed leaves sway in a gentle breeze as fresh crisp air fills Sara’s lungs. She’s been keeping stride next to Nicole as they run along the trails behind the hotel. They’ve vowed to start a new routine. It’s only their first morning, just the two of them, but Sara hopes it will be the first of many. She likes hanging out with Nicole, she’s calm and confident and very loyal, all traits Sara admires. Plus Sara needs the activity to balance out everything that’s happened, if nothing else, to let her mind wander – only concentrating on moving her legs and breathing.

Nicole is enjoying it too. Sara suggested it over dinner the night before. Waverly agreed that they could both benefit from a little time apart since they are now living and working together. Nicole and Sara have gotten close even though they haven’t known each other for very long. Nicole has come to admire and respect Sara for her strong show of leadership and the complete and unconditional love she has for Ava. She reminds Nicole of Wynonna in a way, passionate and pure of heart.

They run at a comfortable pace. The path is slightly uneven. The warm sun is waking the earth around them. A flock of birds roosts in a large tree as they pass, filling the air with their chirping and chattering. Both women have been caught up in their own thoughts, just breathing and running in silence as adrenaline energizes their minds and bodies.

Sara is the first to break the silence, glancing at Nicole, she asks, “Everything okay back home?

Nicole laughs, “Yeah, Wynonna was great. She wants to visit us sometime.”

“She’s more than welcome here.” Sara tells her. “And the new place?”

“It’s great. We love it - we can’t thank you enough.”

“Good. “

“We really appreciate having our own space. Not that we didn’t like living with you and Ava.” Nicole adds just in case it sounded like they didn’t.

“No, I totally get it. We like our privacy too,” Sara agrees. “Ava can get a little loud, if you know what I mean.”

Nicole chuckles and between breaths says, “I do, believe me. Waves can too.”

Sara adds, “I bet they’d both say the same about us.”

A rabbit crosses the path up ahead as they fall back into a rhythm. Nicole’s long legs setting the pace, Sara has no trouble keeping up. Neither is straining but the pace and terrain is still challenging enough for them. Nicole thinks they’ve gone about three miles or so based on her energy level. She checks her watch/comms device, it tells her they’ve been running about 30 minutes.

Sara slows her stride and then jogs in place, “This is about half way. We can take a break and then turn back.”

Nicole stretches out each leg and catches her breath. She’s been thinking about the conversation last night at dinner with the four of them. Since Rip left them with more questions than answers, the new priority is to get Ava’s memory back somehow. Sara put the word out among their friends in hopes that someone will have a way to help them.

In the meantime, Waverly and Ava use the super computer to search thru the hundreds of thousands of recorded facial images taken at the last known location of Ava’s parents. Ava thinks if she can talk to them it might jumpstart her memory or at the very least, once they find them, she’ll have her family back.

“So, this whole memory wiping thing, is it really something that can be reversed?” Nicole asks as she stretches her long arms over her head.

“I hope so.” Sara eyes grow wistful. “I can’t imagine having no memory of where I came from and who I am. I think that might break me, but Ava is strong, sometimes I think she’s even stronger than me.” Saying it out loud makes Sara realize how true it really is, Ava is by far the strongest person she knows.

“I don’t know, it sounds like you’ve had your fair share of make-or-break moments too.” Nicole tells her.

“We all have,” she pats Nicole then calls out over her shoulder, “now let’s get back before they send out a search party,” as she takes off running in the direction they just came from.

Nicole agrees. They _have_ all had their moments. Hers came as the sole survivor of a strange occult massacre when she was just six years old. Her memory of that night in the woods is faint; the only images are from nightmares – ones she still has to this day. Waverly knows about the ordeal, they’ve spoken about it a few times, but only _because_ of those nightmares. She never intended to hide her past from Waverly; it’s just something she doesn’t care to talk about.

Sara looks back at her, “Come on slowpoke. I’ll race you.”

Nicole grins as she sprints past, “Careful there Captain. I ran track in high school, made the All-Star team too.”

Sara smiles and mutters, “Of course you did.”

+++++++++++++

The command center is buzzing with activity. Gary and Ava are huddled over a monitor studying recent black and white surveillance footage from the University. They seem to be deep in discussion about a particular image of an older male currently frozen on the screen.

“I don’t know. It’s hard to see from this angle.” Ava tells Gary.

“I can try to enhance it, but the image is already grainy.” Gary replies.

Nicole, freshly showered, walks past them and finds Waverly fixing a cup of tea. Sliding up behind, she wraps arms around her wife-to-be and kisses Waverly on the cheek, her lips graze Waverly’s ear, she whispers, “Hey Cutie.”

Waverly takes a deep breath and smiles. Even now, the mere touch of her lover gives Waverly goosebumps. She leans back as the warmth of the embrace radiates thru her body and easily fills her with desire. “Mm, you smell good Baby. How was your run?”

“It was good. You should come with us next time.” Nicole tells her while kissing her neck. “The woods around here are so peaceful. I even saw a rabbit.”

Waverly rolls her head back giving Nicole easier access to continue kissing her neck. “Hmm, I don’t think I could keep up with the two of you.” Waverly is fit but not running-for-miles fit.

Nicole chuckles, “Yeah, Sara tried to race me back here.”

“And…?”

“She won.”

“Or did you _let_ her win?”

“Well…maybe…just a little bit.”

“See. Besides, someone has to get some work done around here. This _is_ a job, remember?” Waverly turns in Nicole’s arms and presses a kiss to her lips, softly at first, then with her tongue probing entrance and Nicole responds with a faint moan that only Waverly can hear.

Nicole is instantly aroused by the kiss and with her energy restored after the run, she’s feeling like she could take on the world right now. She brushes a hair from Waverly’s face and tightens her arms before telling her, “Yes, but if you keep that up we won’t be getting any work done today.” Her eyes say the rest as she imagines stealing Waverly away for the afternoon - disappearing into their room and emerging sometime later, spent and satisfied.

Waverly drops her head with playful modesty, “Really, you didn’t get enough the other night?”

Nicole lowers her big brown eyes. Her lips stretch into a half-smirk-half-smile, just enough to make her dimples pop. They haven’t spoken about that night in detail yet. “Mm, that was amazing,” she kisses Waverly before she continues, “but I can never ever get enough of you baby.” She speaks the truth; her need to be with Waverly in every way has even overshadowed basic needs like food and water in the past. They have a deep connection. It’s one that neither of them expected nor takes for granted.

Waverly wriggles in Nicole’s arms and lowers her voice to a whisper, “It was amazing, wasn’t it. It seemed like you were getting off just as much as I was. I didn’t know you could,” she makes an explosive gesture, “you know…get there…that way.”

Sara has joined Ava and Gary as they continue to analyze the now enlarged image of interest on the screen when the lights suddenly flicker and a large bright blue aura appears, seeming to tear a hole in the air in front of them.

Nicole releases her grip and tells Waverly, “We’ll continue this conversation later,” as she moves towards the weapons cases to grab a gun.

Sara shouts, “It’s okay everyone. It’s just a breach. Someone must be coming thru.”

They stare at the breach – waiting for something to happen.

A few more seconds pass before two forms walk thru and Sara recognizes one of them, “Alex? Alex Danvers?”

“Oh, hey Sara,” Alex greets her.

Sara moves towards them as the aura disappears into thin air just as mysteriously as it had appeared. “This is a surprise,” she says looking at Alex then the other woman.

“Yes well, Kara got your message about someone’s memory being erased. Kelly just happens to be an expert on the subject so we thought we’d try and help.”

Kelly extends a hand towards Sara, “Hi Sara, I’m Kelly, Alex’s girlfriend.”

Sara takes her hand, “Girlfriend,” and shoots a knowing glance at Alex before continuing, “Very nice to meet you Kelly. Welcome to Earth 1. Let me introduce you both to my team.”

Ava steps towards them with extended hands, “Hi, I’m Ava, Sara’s wife.”

Alex shoots Sara the same knowing glance as she shakes Ava’s hand, “Well, it’s nice to meet you Ava.”

Sara continues, “And this is the team, Gary, Nicole and Waverly.” They all smile and wave in unison.

Nicole whispers to Gary, “Did Sara say Earth 1? As in there is more than one Earth?”

An awkward silence hangs in the air before Ava motions for them all to move towards the large table in the center of the room. “Please, sit. Let’s talk,” She tells them. She has several questions already, “So, Alex, how do you and Sara know each other?”

Alex slides into a chair beside Kelly, “Ah…well…we…ah…”

Sara jumps in, “I knew Alex’s sister, Kara. We were all invited to a friend’s wedding a few years ago. That’s where we met.”

Alex continues, “Yes and we…ah…we fought Nazis together.”

Waverly leans into Nicole and whispers, “I get the impression that’s not all they did together.”

Ava frowns at Sara and then looks over at Alex, “Nazis?”

“Yeah but that’s a story for another time,” Sara interrupts.

Ava glares at her, “Alright then, what did you mean when you said welcome to Earth 1?”

Sara brings a bottle of whiskey to the table and pours everyone a drink. “Look, I’m not a scientist so here’s my best explanation. There are multiple Earths in multiple Universes all across the entire vastness of space. I don’t know how it all works, and frankly, I don’t really care. All you need to know right now is that Alex and Kelly came here from Earth–38 to give us a hand. And yes, Alex and I slept together the night before the wedding. But it was years ago and before you and I got together, Ava. And I know Alex hadn’t met Kelly yet either because she was trying to get over her Ex at the time.” She downs her shot and looks at Alex, “Anything you want to add?”

Gary leans into Waverly and whispers, “A one night stand and rebound sex, must have been one hell of night.”

Alex smirks as she raises her glass, “No, that pretty much covers it,” and downs her shot.

All eyes turn to Ava as they sit in silence waiting for her reaction. She senses everyone’s eyes on her as she processes the situation then looks matter-of-factly at Kelly, “You’ll have to excuse my wife. Sara can be blunt at times.”

Kelly flashes a soft easy smile. Her eyes are bright and friendly as she speaks directly to Ava, “It’s okay. Alex explained everything before we came here. I know about their night together. Sara’s right, it was a long time ago and from what Alex has told me, it gave them both something to think about in terms of their own futures.” She takes Alex’s hand, “It was a stepping stone for both of them and if it hadn’t happened the way it did, Sara may not have sought out a relationship with you or anyone else. I believe they were meant to cross paths and I’m glad they did.”

Ava leans back in her chair, “That was very…enlightened.” She raises her drink and says, “Well then, here’s to our new friends,” and downs the whiskey.

Sara laughs and pours out another round for everyone as they exchange a few more words.

Alex interrupts the party a short time later, “As much as we would love to sit and chat with you all, I’ve got to get back to the DEO.”

Kelly adds, “Yes, and I have patients to see, so let’s talk about you Ava.”

“Right and we’ve got to get back to work.” Waverly stands, pulling Nicole up with her, “It was very nice to meet you both.

Nicole whispers as they walk away, “So how many Earths are there?”

Kelly focuses her attention back on Ava, “Tell me what happened, what caused you to lose your memory?”

Ava hasn’t had to explain it to an outsider and she’s having difficulty finding the words now. Sara notices her struggling and offers, “It’s a little complicated, but the short version is that someone used a device, by accident, to erase Ava’s memories completely. Then they gave her a new identity with brand new memories to go along with it.” She gently touches Ava’s arm before continuing, “We’ve recently discovered her true identity and for the sake of saving mankind, she needs those memories back.”

Kelly sits silent for a minute then looks into Ava’s eyes, “That must be terrible for you. How are you handling it?”

Ava straightens in her chair holding back tears she didn’t know were there and says, “It hasn’t been easy. But I have support from friends and Sara, she is my rock.”

“I can see that,” Kelly tells her. “I can also see that you are very strong. This process can be incredibly exhausting and it will take every bit of resolve you have to overcome it.”

“But you can help me?” Ava holds on to a thin thread of hope.

“I think so. We used a new method on a Martian friend of ours, and I was able to help him.” Kelly explains, “I’d like to try it on a human brain.” She looks at Alex, “But I’ll need my equipment back at the lab.”

Alex nods, “Yes, of course. We can take you back with us if you’re okay with that?”

Sara turns to Ava, “Babe, it’s your call. Are you up for a trip to an alternate Earth?”

Ava doesn’t have to think about if for long. If it gets her one step closer to finding her family and her memory, she’d travel to hell if that’s what it took. She gives Sara the affirmative nod and stands in anticipation of their new adventure.

Sara stands with her and calls out, “Team, Ava and I are going to Earth-38. Hold the fort down while we’re gone. You won’t be able to reach us while we’re off planet, so if something comes up that you can’t figure out, contact Ray and Nora.”

Gary acknowledges her with a salute, “Aye Captain.”

Sara looks back at Alex, “Alright, let’s do this.”

Alex holds a small device that looks like a silver circle with star and a blue stone in the middle. She presses the center stone on the interdimensional extrapolator, opening the breach. The blue aura tears a hole in the air once again -- the four women walk thru the doorway into another world, literally.

The breach closes behind them and Waverly sits down at the desk, “Well…that was…”

Nicole adds, “Yeah.”


	18. Earth-38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelly and Ava get to work. Sara gets a tour of the DEO.

The four women walk thru the breach as if it were a simple doorway to another room, except when they come out on the other side Sara realizes they must be in the main hall of the DEO. Humans - or at least they look like humans, dressed in black tact suits similar to Alex’s walk by as if people breaching into their facility is nothing unusual. Sara surveys the area; it’s quite large and appears to be a central hub. The walls are plain and almost completely black. There’s a bank of desks and monitors near the center of the room and a large round standing height table jutting up from the center of the floor. The only splash of color to be found is on a far wall seemingly made up entirely of video screens linked together as they actively flash all sorts of images and symbols.

As soon as the breach dissolves behind them, Alex is approached by a slim younger looking man. “Director Danvers,” he addresses her, “I believe we have a lead on the Varkonian we’ve been tracking.”

“Good, Brainy. I’ll be right there.” Alex acknowledges him then turns to her guest, “Will you all excuse me for a moment?”

Sara doesn’t know much about this Earth, but she is aware of their large alien population which necessitated the forming of the DEO in the first place.

“Alex, we’ll just head to my lab. You can join us when you’re able.” Kelly calls out as Alex walks away from them. “Follow me.” She tells Ava and Sara.

“So, it’s Director Danvers now?” Sara comments as they walk with Kelly.

“Yes, I think there was some sort of a shakeup with the previous Director. When he stepped down, Alex took his place.”

“Impressive.” Sara remarks. She knew Alex was a driven ambitious professional, but she didn’t peg her for someone who wanted to be the leader of a covert government organization. Their jobs are stressful enough without having to be the boss too, but it looks as though the responsibility suits Alex, and from what Sara knows about her, Alex can certainly handle being the one in charge.

Kelly tells them, “I don’t know all of the details. Alex and I are still learning about each other, but I do know she’s very good at her job.”

“I’m not surprised.” Sara adds.

They follow Kelly into an elevator and as the doors close Ava leans against the back wall and shuts her eyes. The reality of the moment is sinking in; she’s so close to regaining her memories, so close to hopefully finding her parents, and remembering her past. She’s tried not to think about it, but it’s all she _can_ think about. A flush of anxiety washes over her as her thoughts stir emotions that want to rise to the surface. What if this doesn’t work? What if she can’t find her parents? What if Rip lied to them, again?

Sara senses the change in Ava’s energy and reaches for her hand, “You okay Babe?”

The simple touch from Sara brings Ava out of a potential panic as she’s able to hold back the flood of emotions trying to escape. She’s not going to break down in front of strangers. She can’t. She won’t. She nods at Sara.

The elevator stops and the doors slide open. The hallway they step into is just as nondescript as the previous floor they were on. Sara wonders how anyone finds their way around without any signs or distinct markings to guide them. She kicks herself for not paying better attention to how they got to the elevator in case they would need to leave quickly. Her instincts have been knocked off center since the whole deal with Rip and it unnerves her to be in a strange place without her bearings totally intact.

“My lab is at the end of the hall,” Kelly tells them. “I just have to make a few calls, rearrange some appointments and I’ll be right with you. Please make yourselves comfortable.” She disappears into a room and they’re left to make their own way down the hall.

They find their destination easily and enter the lab. They appear to be the only three people on the entire floor since they passed no else along the way and this room is void of any living beings as well. Sara thinks it’s a bit odd that they would be left unaccompanied in such a high ranking government facility, but then maybe they do things differently on this Earth.

The labs interior is bathed entirely in a soft white light. A stark contrast to everywhere else they’ve been so far, even the elevator was only dimly lit. This room doesn’t resemble a traditional lab, at least not one either of them have seen.

Sara makes a cursory inspection of their surroundings. There is a large white chair in the center of the room and a white desk with white monitors off to one side, except for a few other pieces of small equipment, the room is bare. She notes there are no windows and the only way in or out is thru the same set of double sliding doors they just entered. Once she’s satisfied they’re in a relatively safe environment, her attention turns to checking on Ava. She moves towards Ava and stops in front of her, taking both hands in hers and looking lovingly into her wife’s eyes, she tells her, “Babe, if this is too much, we can wait.”

Ava takes a deep breath and looks back into Sara’s crystal blue eyes; just having her close gives Ava a surge of energy, it’s the exact amount of stability and strength she needs. “No, Sara. I don’t want to wait any longer. I’m okay. Really.” She hopes that Sara will accept her words and support her decision. “I want this more than anything right now. We’re so close.”

Sara drops her chin and raises her eyes, silently asking _are you sure_ before she agrees. “Okay, but promise me if it gets to be too much, you’ll stop. Agreed?” She grins and holds up her right hand extending her pinkie finger.

“You and this pinkie finger thing.” Ava smiles back and wraps a pinkie finger in Sara’s, “Agreed.”

“Good.” Sara leans up and gently kisses Ava’s lips. “I love you. You’ve got this.”

“I love you too, Sara.”

The lab doors slide open and Kelly glides thru without a sound. She pauses as she realizes she’s interrupting a moment between the two women. She clears her throat when they don’t immediately acknowledge her presence and continues to her desk. “Sorry about that. My schedule is all clear, we won’t be interrupted for the rest of the afternoon.”

Sara breaks her gaze from Ava, but only after she’s convinced that Ava is truly alright, and tells Kelly, “That’s great Doc, we’re ready when you are.”

Kelly pauses and looks over at Sara with a raised brow, “How do you know I’m a doctor?”

Sara drops one of Ava’s hands but keeps a tight hold on the other as she turns to face Kelly. “Earlier, you said you had patients to see and I noticed a white coat with your name tag on it hanging in your office when we passed just now.”

Kelly looks impressed and nods, “You’re incredibly observant.”

“Yeah, well I like to know who I’m dealing with, specifically when I’m on a different planet and my wife’s safety is involved.” Ava gives Sara’s hand two quick squeezes in an attempt to get her to stand down, Sara continues, “Not that I don’t trust you or anything, we just don’t know you that well yet.”

“What Sara means to say is we really appreciate you rearranging your schedule to help us out, Kelly.” Ava smiles then glares sideways at Sara, but she’s not sorry that Sara is so protective. It’s one of the many traits that makes Ava love her more each day.

“It’s really no problem. Alex is protective of me as well. You should know that Kara and Alex think very highly of you Sara. They felt my skills could be of some use. When they asked me to help, I didn’t hesitate. I value their opinions of people and trust that they felt we were all safe.” She smiles as Sara forms a reply but a tug from Ava makes her refrain from saying anything else. “Would it help if we got to know each other a little before we begin?”

Ava steps forward, not willing to let Sara take the lead this time, “Thank you, but I’d really like to get started if that’s alright with you.”

Kelly looks at Ava then Sara, “Yes of course, that’s fine.” She opens a drawer and pulls out a small box and walks around the desk. “I’ll have you wear these lenses. I’ll be using Q waves and a brain-computer interface to map the areas of your brain that have been altered. From what I can gather, the device that was used on you is very similar to the one that Sara is currently wearing.”

“Wait, how did you know I was wearing a device?” Sara interrupts.

“You were both scanned for weapons as soon as we crossed the threshold. It’s standard protocol with all visitors. If it helps, I was also scanned.”

“I see, and were you going to tell us that?” Sara sounds agitated. She’s been on edge since Rip broke into their facility and even though Kelly is acting on a request made by her, she is still reluctant to trust anything or anyone right now.

“I believe Alex would have if she hadn’t been called away so quickly. I do apologize if that makes you uncomfortable.”

Ava touches Sara’s shoulder, “No, it’s fine. Let’s just keep going.”

Kelly continues, “ As I was saying, that device doesn’t destroy the memories; it merely redirects one’s thoughts to another area, in essence, storing them away from the conscious mind. Once we determine where the gaps are, we can then try to locate the stored memories and begin the process to recover them. Ava, I’ll have you sit in this chair.” Once Ava is comfortable, Kelly opens the small box and directs Ava further, “now swipe your fingers over the lens and then position them in front of your eyes and swipe again to put them in.”

Ava reaches out and follows Kelly’s instructions, “Like that?” The lenses make Ava’s eyes appear to be glowing with white light from the outside.

“Yes, very good, now let me get the program calibrated and we will begin.” Kelly tells her.

Sara is skeptical, she trusts fancy gadgets about as much as she trusts that Rip actually told them the truth about anything so far, but she knows this is the single most important thing to Ava right now. She asks, mostly out of curiosity, “Can she see with those things in her eyes?”

“Yes, her normal sight should not be affected,” Kelly replies without looking up from the tablet she’s busily typing on.

“Babe, it’s okay. I’m okay.” Ava assures as she settles back in the chair, assuming that she’ll be in it for a while.

“Alright, if you’re ready, we’ll begin.” Ava nods. Kelly continues, “I’m turning the frequency up to 20 hertz, you may feel a slight tingle, but it shouldn’t cause you any discomfort. Let me know if it does.”

Sara looks over Kelly’s shoulder as the tablet displays the link to Ava’s brain. Images of circles begin to slowly take shape. Kelly tells Sara, “The lenses are mapping out the areas of her brain, anywhere you see a broken line means that area was altered.”

“Wow babe, you’ve got a lot of broken lines.” Sara exclaims much to Ava’s dismay.

“Sara, that’s not helping,” Ava half-scolds as she tries not to sound worried.

“Sorry babe.” Sara backs away and moves closer to Ava’s chair.

“I’m afraid Sara is right, it does seem to be an unusual amount of broken lines. This process could take a lot longer than we anticipated. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure where to start - there are so many breaks.” Kelly ends the program and powers down the lenses, holding the case out for Ava to remove them and return them to their container.

Ava looks distraught and asks, “What does this mean? Are you giving up?”

Just then the lab doors slide open and Alex joins them. “So sorry I got called away. How’s it going in here?” Kelly’s expression tells her it’s not going well.

“It appears that Ava’s memories are severely fragmented.” Kelly starts as she turns to Ava, “but I am not giving up. It will just take some time to analyze your data. I’d like to go a little deeper with a second scan, if you’re up for that, then I’ll have a better idea of how to proceed.”

Sara moves closer to Ava and touches her arm before taking her hand, “Babe?”

Ava knows that Sara is being so attentive because she cares and is worried about her and she appreciates how soft she’s being, but right now Ava just wants answers. “Sara, I’m okay. I need to go thru with this, no matter what it takes.”

Sara senses the tone and takes a step back, “Okay, then it sounds like we could be here for a while.”

Kelly exchanges a glance with Alex before sliding an arm around her, “Alex, why don’t you show Sara _your_ lab while Ava and I continue.”

With a sideways smile and nod to Kelly, Alex agrees, “That’s a good idea. What do you say Sara?’

Sara looks back at Ava, who tells her, “Go. I’m fine. Really.”

Sara concedes but not before kissing the back of Ava’s hand and telling her, “Alright, but remember our deal.”

Ava gently waves her off, “I remember. Now go, you goof.”

Alex takes her cue and ushers Sara thru the sliding doors, calling out over her shoulder as they walk out, “We’ll be upstairs, call us if you need us.”

Ava feels slightly nervous at suddenly being alone with this practical stranger and pulls at a loose thread on her jeans. She quickly misses the calming affect Sara’s presence had on her even if she was being overbearingly protective and overly attentive. She instantly wishes she hadn’t tried to be so brave, but the moment passes and she prepares for the next round by telling herself everything will be fine.

Kelly reads Ava’s body language instinctually, “Her devotion for you is like none I’ve ever seen. You two are so lucky to have each other.”

The comment brings a smile to Ava’s face and her tension eases a little. “We’ve never been very sappy with each other, but ever since we found out that I’m not a clone, Sara has been…glued to my side. I’m not complaining, it’s just not normal for us, but then nothing has been normal for a while.”

“This has to be difficult for both of you. You know, I’m a Psychologist, if you want or need to talk, I’m a pretty good listener, so I’ve been told.”

Ava thinks she likes Kelly, she seems sincere and has been very professional and personable so far, but she’s not looking for a therapy session. She just wants her memories back. “That’s nice of you to offer, but for now I’d really like to focus on what we came here to do.”

“I completely understand. Shall we get started then?”

+++++++++++++

Alex and Sara stand in the middle of Alex’s lab. Sara made mental notes of the path they took to get there, counting the doorways and noting any distinct markings, not that there were many to been seen along the way. She knows she can trust Alex, but she could get called away again and if Ava needs her, Sara wants to know how to get back to Kelly’s lab quickly.

“So…Director Danvers,” There’s a lilt to Sara’s voice as she flashes a quick smile.

“Yep, that’s me.” Alex gives a half-smile back with an awkward little wave to punctuate the statement.

The last time they were alone together was the night before Barry and Iris’s wedding. They had way too much to drink and ended up spending the night in Sara’s hotel room. Sara blushes when she thinks about what they did that night. The sex was good but not as good as it could have been if Sara hadn’t been so intoxicated. “So…ah…Kelly really seems wonderful,” Sara stammers, trying to erase the mental image of Alex lying naked beneath her. She’s never even thought about another woman since the first night she and Ava slept together and she’s not currently attracted to Alex, even if she were, she would never act on it. Sara is completely committed to being with Ava, and only Ava.

Alex shifts her weight from one foot to the other and echoes the uneasiness she’s picking up from Sara. “Yes, she’s very _very_ special to me. And Ava, Ava seems amazing too.”

“She is and I love her very much.”

“Good. I'm happy for you, that you’ve found someone.”

“Thanks. Ah hell, look I don’t want this to be awkward between us.”

“I know, right?”

“I mean we’re grown women, and what happened…what we did…was a long time ago.”

“I agree.”

“So…”

“…Yeah.”

“Good because I could really use your help with another little problem.”

“Oh, okay.”

“It just occurred to me that you’re a doctor too.”

Yes, yes I am.”


	19. The Doctors Are In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly has an idea. Sara gets some answers.

While Ava and Sara are off-planet, Waverly and Gary have been tirelessly running the facial recognition program, searching for any sign of Ava’s parents in Finland. So far, all they’ve got is a faint image of an older man that could possibly be Ava’s father, Benson Traske, but the image is too fuzzy to tell for sure. Even the supercomputer won’t confirm that it’s a match.

“This is crazy,” Waverly is becoming more impatient by the hour. It’s not in her nature to sit still for hours on end. Even though she’s a brilliant researcher, much of her past work has involved combing thru actual documents and public record archives, which can be tedious but at least there’s some physical work involved. But this, the sitting, looking at fuzzy images, has her anxious to get up and move around. She looks over at Gary who’s been sitting relatively still for an extended period now. “Why can’t we just go to the University and poke around a little. Surely someone has to know something. I mean, we have a spaceship right outside, for crying out loud.” She gestures wildly in the direction of the woods just beyond the hotel.

Gary leans back and sighs, his glazed over expression not giving Waverly any indication about what he’s thinking. “I don’t think that would be a very good idea.” The strain on his eyes proves he’s been staring at the images for as long as she has, but his former training lends itself to this type of tedious work. His main job at the Time Bureau involved sitting at a desk, but in the early days when Rip formed the agency, he did have a few field assignments. Gary learned pretty quickly that he preferred the cleanliness and relative safety of the office over the dirty and often chaotic field work. “And, it’s a timeship, not a spaceship,” he chides.

Not ready to give in, Waverly presses, “We could be there and back before Sara and Ava come home. Maybe we would have some good news for them, instead of just sitting here doing nothing.”

“We’re not exactly doing nothing,” He sits straight up in his chair and adjusts his tie. Now that they’re running things from the command center full time, he’s back to wearing the tailored black suits, crisp white shirts and black ties that made up his uniform at the Bureau. He didn’t mind filling in as a hotel manager while things got settled, but he’s far more comfortable being back at his desk job and in his comfortable suits again.

“Well it feels like nothing.” She pushes away from the desk with a frustrated grunt, “You know what? I think I need a break. I’m gonna go find Nicole.” Maybe a change of scenery and a hug from her fiancée can motivate her to come back here and glare blankly into the abyss for a few more hours.

“That’s a good idea. Last I saw, she went into her office downstairs,” he calls after her as she walks away.

+++++++++++++

Sara swings her legs over the edge of the examine table and pulls at her shirt sleeve as Alex finishes labeling the vials of blood she’s just extracted from Sara’s arm. Once Sara explained how she was injected with the serum and Ray’s use of the Nanites to counter it along with the invisibility that happened while they were investigating Ava’s past, Alex was more than willing to run some tests. Ray is a brilliant scientist, but Alex has an actual medical degree, or at least Sara assumes she does. Plus Alex has equipment sophisticated enough to treat aliens, so she should certainly be able to diagnose and treat a little invisibility, right?

“Thank you for doing this. I know you probably have a dozen other things that you're working on.” Sara jumps down and follows Alex to a nearby desk.

“It’s no problem, really. Things are slow right now since Kara and Lena are off on their vacation.” Alex finishes cataloging the blood sample then starts working on the analysis as they talk.

“Wait!” Sara exclaims. “Kara and Lena are on vacation? Together? As in like…a couple together?”

“Umm…kind of, I guess.” Alex wasn’t expecting Sara to pick up on the implications of her statement; she didn’t even know that Sara knew who Lena was for that matter. She regrets not being more careful with her words. “I’m not sure how much I should say. They’re sort of new and it’s still a touchy subject with Kara.”

“You know that I won’t say anything, and we’ll be gone from this planet soon enough anyway.” Alex nods. Sara continues, “So when did this happen?” She’s happy for the distraction and genuinely happy for Kara, or at least she hopes it’s a happy situation.

Alex pauses, looking away from the high-powered microscope she’s been studying and holds Sara’s gaze. Why does it sound like Sara saw this coming? When she really thinks about, she knows very little about Sara other than their one night together and a few conversations afterward. But Kara and Sara have known each other for a while and have even worked together a couple of times in the past. “A few months ago, Kara finally worked up the nerve to tell Lena the truth.”

“That she’s Supergirl?”

“No, that she has feelings for Lena.”

“Yeah, we all knew that.” Sara snorts.

Alex is surprised by Sara’s response, “You all knew? Who is all of you?”

Sara grins when she realizes that Alex was clueless to her sister’s inclinations towards one Lena Luthor. Kara must have hidden it really well, from everyone it would seem, including herself. “Oliver, Barry, you know…all of us. We talked about it the last time we were all together. In fact, Kara brought it up. She told us all about Lena. I could tell she was very _in_ to her.”

Alex’s blank expression says it all, “Wow. I had no clue she felt _that_ way about Lena until she told me a few days before she told Lena. I mean, I knew they were close friends, but I guess I didn’t expect her to be…

“Bisexual?”

“I was going to say -- into women, but yeah. Bi. I mean, I’m not even sure how she identifies yet, it’s all so new, to all of us.” Alex smiles nervously.

“Well I couldn’t be happier for her if she’s found her true love. Kara is probably the sweetest person…ah alien…I know and she deserves to be happy too.” Truth be told Sara thought Kara was hot when they first met, if she’d know Kara had it in her, who knows what could have happened between them.

“And of course I agree. Just promise you won’t say anything about it, to anyone.”

Sara mimics a locking motion with her hand up to her mouth and her eyes sparkle. “My lips are sealed.”

“Perfect.” Alex seems satisfied that Sara will keep things quiet. She’d hate to have Kara upset with her for discussing her personal business before they have the whole story, but she believes that Sara will keep her word. “Now, tell me more about what was going on when you turned invisible.”

+++++++++++++

Waverly knocks on the office door and enters without waiting for an invitation. She finds Nicole right where Gary said she would be. From the command center, they can see most of the grounds and the public areas of the hotel. But Waverly knows for a fact that there are no cameras monitoring the inside of this room. Since they recently installed a second smaller command center complete with monitors and controls in this downstairs office, Nicole has been spending more time here. She prefers to be closer to the action should a security matter need her quick attention. She’s taking this head-of-security job very seriously, not that Waverly expects anything less from her sweetie.

Nicole is speaking to someone on the house phone when Waverly kisses her on the cheek and slides into a chair beside her. Waverly’s attitude changes as soon as she is in close proximity to Nicole. Frustration gives way to delight, just as she hoped it would. Just being near Nicole soothes her in a way that no one else can, and the warmth and love she feels overshadows all negative emotions instantly.

Nicole’s call ends and she leans in to kiss Waverly, “Hey cutie.”

“Hey sweetie.” A half-moon smile spreads across Waverly’s lips and she reaches for Nicole’s hand and places it in her own lap. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, we thought we had a missing kid. The mother thought he was with the father and the father thought he was with the mother. Turns out the kid got a ride home with a friend. As soon as they got back, there he was safe and sound, mystery solved. Why they didn’t just look at home first before stirring up a panic here is beyond me.”

“Soccer parents?”

“Worse. Little League.”

Waverly nods. “Well, I can’t say as I blame them, I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a kid, even if it was just a false alarm. Anyway, when our kids go on sports trips, I’m sure you’ll be right there to keep them safe.”

“Our kids?”

Waverly slides an arm around Nicole’s shoulder and leans into her, “Yes, _our_ kids. I want at least two, more if you’re willing.”

They haven’t talked about the subject at any great length but Nicole knew Waverly wanted to have kids at some point. She’s not sure how they could think about starting a family with their current situation, but if that’s what Waverly wants, then she’ll do everything in her power to make it happen. “Two is a good start.” Waverly kisses her on the cheek as an emphatic gesture of thanks. “What brings you down here? Did you and Gary find something?”

Waverly coos in Nicole’s ear, “I just needed to see you. Plus if I had to look at one more blurry video I was going to lose my mind.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea.” Waverly lazily twirls her fingers in the back of Nicole’s hair.

Nicole closes her eyes and drops her head back; having Waverly’s fingers in her hair is driving her crazy. She flashes a dimpled grin, “You just need to _see_ me, nothing else?”

“Maybe, something else,” Waverly really didn’t have any other motives until she found herself sitting next to her lover.

“I see. What’d you have in mind?”

Waverly leans in and kisses Nicole's lips, its soft at first, which is how they almost always start. Her breath quickens as Nicole reaches out and pulls her closer. They haven’t had sex in a few days, not since they left Purgatory, not since that amazing night, and Waverly can tell by the way Nicole’s hands are on her that they’re overdue.

They stand and together head for the small sofa that sits off to one side of the room. If they stop to think about it, that sofa has probably been thru a few things. Sara practically admitted that she and Ava have had sex in this room on at least one occasion. Just as Nicole is pulling Waverly down onto her lap, Waverly jumps back up, “That’s it!”

Nicole can’t help but look a little confused, “Waves?”

“Nicole, that’s it! Ava’s parents would have wanted to go home to be safe and not home as in Finland, home as in Utah home. We’ve been looking in the wrong place!”

+++++++++++++

“What did we miss?” Ava asks with a glance towards Sara who seems to be happily running on a treadmill for no apparent reason. She and Kelly have joined them in the main lab.

“We’re hoping to get her heart rate up enough to trigger another instance.” Alex is trying to recreate the circumstance that seems to have triggered Sara’s singular bout of invisibility. She stands near the treadmill documenting Sara’s vitals while she explains, “So far, all we have is a sweaty Assassin.”

“Former Assassin,” Ava corrects. “You think it’s related to her heart rate?” Ava was aware that this was eating at Sara; not having answers is Sara’s worst enemy. She’s surprised to see that Alex is now on the case as well, but she doesn’t mind. Maybe they can finally get to the bottom of it.

Alex nods as she records more stats, “I do. From what I’ve seen so far, that serum positively altered Sara’s DNA and I concur with Ray’s initial assessment that her cells seem to be regenerating at an accelerated pace but that still doesn’t explain the invisibility. We’re running some other analysis on the samples, and thought we could reconstruct that night while we waited.”

“Makes sense,” Ava agrees, “but you’re increasing her heart rate gradually. The incident that night, when she saw Rip, spiked her heart rate rapidly. She was off the charts in a matter of a few seconds.” Ava remembers the panic in Nicole’s voice all too well. After a stern talking to, Sara promised not to keep important things like that from Ava again.

Sara slows to a walk so she can cool down before hopping off of the machine entirely. “Ava’s right. I remember it sounded like I could hear my own blood rushing thru my head. There was tremendous pressure. My head felt like it would explode. I couldn’t catch my breath. It only lasted for second or two, then I remember seeing Nicole’s face.”

“Alright, we can work with that.” Alex abandons the tablet she’s been holding and moves to a keyboard where she begins taking detailed notes.

“Aside from the physical changes, do you remember what you were feeling, as in your emotions?” Kelly tosses Sara a towel. She’s fascinated by these strong women and with her military background; nothing much surprises her these days.

Sara pats her face and neck then drapes the towel over her shoulders as she tries to bring that night back to life in her head. “Anger, I felt so much anger. On a level I’d never felt before. It was a white hot anger that seared my brain.” Thru gritted teeth, fists clenched tight, she tells them, “I pictured making him pay for the hurt he’d caused Ava by holding him up by the throat and squeezing every last ounce of life from his body.” She stops when she realizes that everyone is frozen, all eyes are on her. She looks down at her hands in time to discover that she has indeed gone invisible again.

“Sara.” Ava can’t believe this. On some level she hoped what had happened was a freak occurrence and that Sara wouldn’t have to deal with it ever again. It wasn’t anything Sara would talk about, but Ava knows her wife well enough to know it had been bothering Sara.

Alex rushes to Sara and takes as many vital sign readings as possible not knowing how long this could last. She’s intrigued and wants answers as much as Sara does. “Incredible, you shouldn’t still be alive with a heart rate that high. How do you feel?”

Sara leans against the exam table, “Hot, like I’m still running on the treadmill but not out of breath. I’m more sensitive to light and I can hear things I don’t normally hear.”

“Like what?” Ava asks her.

She smiles even though she knows they can’t see her. “Like you grinding your teeth and your heart beat.” She tells Ava.

“Good,” Alex jumps in. “What else?”

“There’s someone walking down the hall outside of the room, he’s talking to someone, or maybe to himself, I’m not sure.”

“Can you make out what he’s saying?” Alex asks.

Sara turns her head to listen, “No, he’s gone now.”

“What else are you feeling?” Kelly tries to keep Sara talking so Alex can continue studying her.

“It scares me at first, knowing you can’t see me. Then it gets really weird when I try to see me. I’m not upset, more frustrated than anything else. It’s a silly thing to have happen. I’m more annoyed the longer it lasts.”

“Do you think you might be able to control it now that you know how it’s activated?” Alex holds Sara’s wrist while she takes her pulse, she wasn’t quick enough to get Sara hooked up the monitors so she has to go old school.

“I think I can control getting here, but not sure about returning back to normal. I’m not angry anymore and I’m still invisible, right?”

“Yes,” Alex confirms, “But you’re heart rate is still pretty high so that would make sense.”

“Sara, try taking some deep breaths, it should help to relax you.” Kelly is accustom to helping people relax. Many of her patients suffer from PTSD and come to her for exactly that kind of help.

Sara goes silent. She’s feeling overwhelmed, the attention, the heighten senses; it’s a lot to process. What if this time this silly affliction is permanent? She’ll never see her own face in the mirror again, never feel normal again. She wonders if this was how Ava felt when she first found out she was supposed to be a clone. She tries to shake those thoughts; it’s not helping her relax. The sadness she feels breaks her heart and she can’t keep from letting it out.

“Sara?” Ava is concerned that Sara is quiet and goes to her. Since they can still see her clothing, Ava can tell by the movement in Sara’s chest that she’s crying. “Babe?”

Sara reaches for her and falls into Ava’s arms as soon as she’s close enough. She’s not sure why she’s suddenly so overtaken with emotion, but she’s grateful she has Ava here. They’ve become even closer through this ordeal.

Ava holds her tight, “It’s okay. I’m here Sara.” She hears Sara’s soft sobs and presses into Sara, sharing her warmth. Ava wants to dry Sara’s tears but she doesn’t want to risk accidentally poking Sara in the eye or hurting her in some other way. “I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.” Ava wishes she knew if that were true but for now she wants Sara to feel safe so she can get back to normal.

Sara pushes all of the air from her lungs then takes as deep of a breath as she can and pushes that one back out too. A few more and she starts to feel closer to normal. Ava is still holding her, “Ava?”

“Yes Sara?”

“I love you.”


	20. Not Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is a life saver. Nicole and Waverly take a trip.

Ava senses by the tone in Sara’s voice that something is off, but without being able to read her facial expression or look into her eyes, Ava can’t pinpoint the problem. Her gut tells her, though, that something is seriously wrong. Sara isn’t prone to being overly emotional, and while she does rely on Ava at times, the way Sara’s body is almost limp in Ava’s arms, indicates something besides an emotional response is happening.

Ava’s sends a concerned look in Alex’s direction, “She’s not okay. Help me get her on the table.” Sara is mumbling but Ava can’t make out what she’s trying to say.

Alex and Kelly both rush to Ava’s aid and the three women effortlessly lift Sara’s small frame onto the table. Thankfully they’re still in Alex’s lab and surrounded by what appears to be sophisticated medical equipment. Having only met these women a few hours ago, Ava now has to rely on them for help, and it looks like Sara is going to need plenty of that.

Alex quickly gets Sara hooked to the monitors. She needs to diagnose Sara’s condition quickly. Ava touches Sara’s arm, and quietly tells her, “Sara, it’s okay. We’ve got you.” Sara reaches for Ava, her hand is cold and clammy against Ava’s skin. “She’s freezing cold.” Ava is on the verge of tears. She holds back, not wanting Sara to see the panic on her face, knowing it will upset Sara even more. She simply says, “Sara,” then presses her lips to what she assumes is the back of Sara’s invisible hand. Sara is still trying to tell them something thru incoherent mumbling.

“She’s tachycardic. Her heart can’t sustain this rate,” Alex tells them. “The rapid cell regeneration is probably the only thing keeping her alive right now.”

“So what do we do?” Ava clamps her hands around Sara’s.

“Normally we could give her an injection to slow her heart down, but that’s too risky since I can’t see her veins.”

“You have to do something. Please Alex.” Time seems to stand still. Ava feels helpless standing there beside her wife holding her cold lifeless hand and hoping for a miracle. And once again, why the hell is this happening to them.

“We can shock it back to a normal rhythm.” Alex calls out, “Kelly grab the portable defibrillator from my office. Ava, help me get her shirt off. The paddles need to make contact with her skin.” Alex moves to the other side of the bed as Ava pulls Sara’s limp body to a sitting position and they remove her shirt. She’s wearing a sports bra so they can still make out portions of where her torso is in relation to the rest of her. Thankfully her clothes don’t turn invisible too.

Kelly delivers the portable machine to Alex.

Alex flips the case open and charges the paddles, the machine signals it’s ready, “Okay, stay back and make sure you’re not touching the table.” She tells them as she places one paddle on Sara’s chest near her heart and the other just below and off to the side. “Clear.” With the press of a button, the paddles send two-hundred volts thru Sara’s body. She steps back and searches for a pulse. The volume on the monitor has been turned down lest the continuous long beep of the alarm drives them all mad. “Nothing yet.”

Alex looks calm but inside she’s a mess of nerves, she’s not about to let her friend die on her watch. She flips the switch on the machine and waits for the ready signal once again. It beeps and she places the paddles, pressing buttons for a second time, sending four-hundred volts thru Sara’s motionless body. The steady flat line on the monitor above their heads shows a single blip then a second then full rhythm returns. Alex exhales, she’d been holding her breath, and confirms a pulse by pressing her fingers to Sara’s wrist. “She’s got a pulse, it’s faint but it’s there. Let’s give her a minute. I’m going to prepare an IV, hopefully this will wear off. Stay with her.”

With tears streaming down her face, Ava grips Sara’s hand. It’s not cold to the touch any longer and Ava watches as the invisibility finally wears off and her beloved life-partner reappears. Sara looks so peaceful lying there. Ava hadn’t lost hope yet, she’s seen Sara come back from more difficult circumstances, but she still can’t understand why this keeps happening to them. Those answers will have to wait for another time. Right now she has to be strong. She wipes at her own tears and kisses the back of Sara’s hand. “Sara, I’m here.” The words catch in her throat. “I’m here.” The room is silent as Ava waits; concentrating on keeping it together, if only for the sake of keeping Sara calm.

Alex returns with the IV bag, she was amazingly collected under pressure, and quickly gets Sara hooked in, “She’s stabilizing.”

Sara opens her eyes to Alex and Ava hovering over her. An amused grin spreads across her face. Oblivious to the fact that she nearly died, again, she wonders if this is a dream, not like the thought of this threesome had ever crossed her mind before now. When they don’t immediately notice that she’s awake she inspects her free hand, thankfully she’s not invisible anymore. _That was wild_.

Her movement catches Ava’s attention and her eyes instantly well up again. “Babe.” 

Alex leans closer to check the IV line, “You gave us quite a scare, Sara. How are you feeling?”

Sara wipes a tear from Ava’s cheek, “Good, I think. Maybe a little tired?”

“We almost lost you again.” Ava leans against the table, finally able to relax. Now that Sara is awake and talking, the danger has passed. “Alex saved you.”

“Then I owe you a thank you.” Her grin returns. “I thought maybe I was having a dream, but we’re all wearing way too much clothing.”

+++++++++++++

Waverly snaps the harness around her shoulders as she settles into the cockpit. After much conversation, she was able to convince Nicole and Gary that merely running the facial recognition program was not enough. They needed to take action. She needed to take action or she would lose her mind. She had recently become acutely aware of the meaning of cabin fever.

Sitting next to Nicole dressed in that torturously sexy tact suit while keeping her hands to herself will be more of a challenge than finding Ava’s parents. She asked Nicole to settle for street clothes instead, but Nicole insisted they be prepared for anything. Waverly doesn’t know if she should attribute Nicole’s need to always be prepared to her profession or if it’s just her natural tendency.

“Gideon,” Nicole addresses the AI.

“Yes Commander Haught?”

Waverly hums and wriggles with delight, “Commander. Oh my.”

“Waves,” Nicole scolds with a half-smile, “This is serious. We’re on a mission.”

“You’re right. Forgive my insubordination.” Waverly gives a mock salute and suppresses a giggle. “Please carry on, _Commander._”

“Gideon, plot a course for present day Salt Lake City, Utah.” Nicole continues.

“Yes Commander. Do you have a specific address in mind?”

Out of anyone on their team, Waverly knows the most about Ava’s family. She’s been studying everything and learning as much as she can about them for the last few months. “We should try the University first. Ava’s parents are probably still working there, I would bet money on it.”

“Very well Miss Earp.”

“Miss Earp? Don’t I get a title too?” Waverly address the AI.

“Waves.”

“No, I’m serious. Sara and Ava are Co-captains. You’re a Commander. What does that make me?”

“Technically Miss Earp, the rank just below Commander would be Lieutenant.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t mind being below this Commander,” with another little wriggle to punctuate her thought, “Yes, I like it.”

“Very well Lieutenant Earp, plotting course now.”

“Thank you Gideon.” Waverly huffs with an air of satisfaction. She can feel Nicole’s warm brown eyes on her. “What?”

Nicole flashes a dimpled smile and shakes her head, “Nothing, you’re just too…”

“Cute?” Waverly cuts her off.

“I was going to say too much, but yes that too.”

+++++++++++++

Alex pours out three glasses of wine and sets the bottle down on the table. She’s relieved that she could convince Sara and Ava to stay on her Earth for the night. With so many unknowns about Sara’s affliction, they were agreeable to the arrangement. With Kara’s permission, they’re staying in her apartment while Kara is off rediscovering herself.

Sara grabs the bottle and pours a fourth glass. Alex protests, “Ah none for you Sara, you need to take it easy.”

Sara steels her gaze, “Its fine. I’m fine. I’ve been thru much worse than this, trust me. Besides, one glass of wine is not going to kill me, literally.”

“Well, as your doctor, I advise against it.” Sara can’t help but notice Alex’s soft eyes and gentle smile. She wonders if things had been different when they first met, would they have pursued a relationship. Not that it matters at all now, they’ve both found loving partners and are leading perfectly happy lives. Their single night of attraction was just that, a single night.

“My doctor?” Sara asks with a raised brow.

Alex nods and sips from her glass, “Okay, _A_ doctor then.” Sara chuckles. “You know what I meant. But seriously, take it slow. I don’t want to go thru that again.”

Sara raises her glass, flashes a grin and nods, “Understood.”

They join Kelly and Ava in the seating area. Kara’s apartment is one big room with no walls separating any of it except for a small area that looks to be the bathroom. Sara curls her legs under and snuggles into Ava’s side. Alex gets comfortable on the floor next to Kelly on the sofa.

“It’s so nice of Kara to let us crash here tonight.” Ava slides an arm around Sara and pulls her closer. She’s not letting this one out of her sight tonight, even if there is nowhere for Sara to go.

“With all the invisibility and chaos we didn’t get to ask how the second scan went.” Alex leans into Kelly’s leg, the excitement took a bit out of her.

Kelly gently massages Alex’s shoulder, “It went well. We should be ready for the recovery stage in the morning.”

“That’s great news. And it will give me time to analyze all of the data we collected on Sara today. I want Brainy to look it over too, with your permission of course Sara. He should be back from assignment by then.” Alex sips her wine.

“Brainy, is that short for something?” Ava asks.

Alex tilts her head, “Sort of? It’s a long story. He’s a highly intelligent alien from 12,000 years in the future who is trapped here on our Earth right now.”

Sara whistles, “Damn, and we thought we had bad luck, Babe.”

+++++++++++++

Gideon gently lands the _WR2 _in a secluded field just north of the University of Utah’s campus and engages cloak mode before Nicole and Waverly can even unbuckle from their seats. As first rides in a spaceship go, Waverly was unimpressed. But to be fair, they barely traveled a few thousand miles and didn’t leave the atmosphere so it was basically just a normal plane ride. As far as she’s concerned, they still owe her a real space trip.

Nicole frees herself from the cockpit and moves to the center control panel in the ships cabin, “Gideon start running the facial recognition program for both Alice and Benson Traske. Let’s see if we can pinpoint their location before we go off on a wild goose chase.”

“Yes Commander. But I can confirm there are no wild geese within 500 miles of our current location.”

“What? No, I didn’t mean we were looking for geese.” Nicole huffs and mumbles, “Stupid computer.”

“Very well Commander.”

Waverly snickers and flops down a hard cushioned bench that lines one wall of the ships cabin. Ray obviously didn’t have an eye for decorating. The walls and fabric of the cushions are a bland shade of beige, the only splash of color are the red velvet accent curtains on each small window, but even those look a little outdated. This is undeniably nothing like the elaborate ship that Sara and her crew were used to traveling in. Waverly makes a mental note to put together a redecorating plan to present to Sara when this is all over. “Okay, now what? Are we just going to sit here at the base of the Wasatch Mountains doing nothing, or are we going to go find these people?”

“How do you know what the mountain range is called?”

“I’m a researcher, that’s my jam baby. I wasn’t going to travel clear to the other side of the country and not know anything about our surroundings.”

With a quick kiss on the cheek, Nicole tells her, “And that’s why I love you, Lieutenant.”

Waverly reaches for Nicole and pulls her close, with a soft kiss she says, “I love you too, Commander.”

“Hmm, I sense this could get out of hand if we keep going. Let’s stay focused on the mission, okay.”

Waverly lets Nicole slip from her arms and pretends to pout but when Nicole doesn’t bite, she simply asks, “So what’s the plan?”

Nicole is in deep thought and before she can answer Gideon chimes in. “Commander, I have located a possible match to Benson Traske. His is currently traveling on foot thru the grounds of the University.”

“You said possible match. How certain are you that it’s our guy, Gideon?” Nicole asks.

There’s a brief silence before Gideon replies, “There is a ninety-nine point one percent chance that the identified subject is Benson Traske.”

“Thank you Gideon.” Nicole looks at Waverly who is already pulling off her tact suit, “Waves, what you are doing?”

“We can’t go out there looking like we just walked off of a spaceship. We need to be in street clothes. What does Sara always say? Blend in, right?”

“You’re on fire tonight Lieutenant.” Nicole flashes a smile and pulls at her zipper.

“Baby, you have no idea.”


	21. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara makes peace with her new ability. Ava opens up her mind. Nicole gets her dream job. Waverly gets the life she wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't thank you all enough for reading and commenting on my first multi-chapter fic. I have had an absolute blast writing about the characters that I love so much. I don't want this to end, but I'm ready to move on to my next story. Who knows, there might even be a sequel to this one down the road sometime. Thanks again ~~Lee

Sara dangles her legs over the edge of the cold exam table, the very same one that she almost died on a few hours ago, and watches the hive of activity going on just outside of Alex’s lab. She reluctantly let Ava go, without her, to work with Kelly so they could continue the recovery stage of Ava’s memories. In her mind, that’s still so much more important than this silly invisibility thing, but Alex seems committed to helping her so they can’t stop now.

When she thinks about how overprotective she’s being with Ava, it makes her realize just how much her life has changed. It was just a few years ago, before she met Ava, that she was happily flying across the timeline, charming women and having her way with them, consensually of course, before happily moving on to the next conquest. Now she’s in a committed relationship with the love of her life. Ava’s words rang true when she had said that neither of them needed anybody, but Sara was who she wanted. And Sara wanted her too, and not just for the physical intimacy, they wanted to share a life together.

The concept of being able to rely on anyone but herself was so foreign to Sara but with Ava in her life, she knows it possible now. Ava has been there for her, time and time again, pulling her back from the darkness when it tried to consume her, and getting her to safety more times than she’d thought possible. She can be vulnerable and feel safe with Ava. She can wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream and know that her lover is right there beside her, to comfort her.

Just like last night when she was exhausted from almost dying – again. She tried to close her eyes and let sleep take her, but it was no use. So they held each other and talked – about everything. They talked about their past and their future. They talked about what they want to do with Green Arrow Inn when this is all over. They talked about the lives they have effected. And when they were done talking, they made love to each other, right there in a strange apartment. It was gentle and sweet and passionate, and when they were both satiated, Sara curled up in Ava’s arms and let peaceful sleep take her.

She’s pulled from her reverie by the sound of Alex’s voice and she realizes that Alex and the slim young man standing beside her have been talking to her.

“Sara? Is everything okay?” Alex looks concerned.

“Hmm, yeah, I was just…it’s just been…yeah, I’m fine. What did you find out?”

“Well, we have good news and bad news.” Alex is focused intently on the tablet in her hands as she taps and slides fingers, almost frantically, across its surface. “Oh and this is Brainy, I asked him to join us.” Alex is in serious-director-mode now, she doesn’t even look away from the tablet.

Brainy gives a quick wave and a slight smile. He doesn’t look like a highly intelligent alien, but then Sara doesn’t know that many aliens so there’s really nothing to compare him to anyway. Still, Alex seems to hold him or at least his intelligence in high regard so that’s something in his favor.

“Give me the bad news first.” Sara hops off the exam table and crosses her arms waiting for their definition of bad.

“Very well.” He doesn’t sound like an alien either. “So the bad news is, the state in which your body is currently in, if you were to have another episode, one that would cause you to go invisible again, it would most likely kill you.” Good thing Ava wasn’t here to hear that little piece of news.

“Brainy.” Alex scolds, “Have a little sensitivity man.”

Sara half-chuckles, “It’s alright Alex. I did ask for it.”

Brainy continues, “However, the good news is that we believe we have determined the cause of your, shall we say, affliction.”

“My affliction? Isn’t the serum the cause?”

“Actually no.” Brainy continues, “It seems the Nanites that Doctor Palmer so innocently injected to counteract the serum in the first place, are the actual culprits here.”

“Wait. What?”

“But don’t blame him. Doctor Palmer could not have anticipated this outcome given the primitive tools he has to work with in this century. He assumed his actions were warranted and that he was correct in using them to counteract the crippling effects of the serum. You are indeed lucky that this technology even exists in this archaic century in the first place. But what he didn’t anticipate was the lasting effect those microscopic little machines would have on your body.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s actually quite simple. If I may explain. The Nanites were programmed to find the serum and remove it from your system, but they could not remove the small trace that had already been absorbed by your body. Since their work cannot be completed, they sit dormant and wait, then become activated when you are highly agitated. In this case, by your seething anger towards a certain unnamed individual.”

“Rip.”

“Correct. And in your highly agitated state, their programming dictates they protect their host. The code tells them to enhance your senses and give you superhuman strength for the duration of the threat, but somewhere the code has been corrupted and the signals they are sending now cause you to become invisible. But it’s actually more like you are a Chameleon, simply blending in to your surroundings thus hiding you from the threat until it passes.”

“But they almost killed me.” Microscopic machines be damned, Sara curses them.

“Yes, well, actually your own organs almost killed you. But as I said, the code has become corrupted so the Nanites are not performing as expected.”

“So far this doesn’t sound like good news.” Sara is giving this young man/alien the benefit of the doubt by listening to him this long, but time’s running out on this higher life-form as far as she’s concerned.

“Oh but it is, because you see once we identify the problem, we can devise a solution, and I have one already in mind.”

Alex has deferred the scientific explanations to Brainy but she can see that Sara is growing impatient and frankly she has other work that needs her attention as well. “Sara, what Brainy is trying to say is that he can simply reprogram the Nanites.”

“Well if it’s that simple, then what are we waiting for?”

“You actually,” Brainy tells her. “We now have the power to determine their function. You can decide how much or how little they will impact the rest of your life.”

“What do you mean? Impact the rest of my life?”

“Since they can never be safely removed, they will always be inside of you, but we can control how they behave going forward. You can continue to be protected by them, but that would mean triggering the invisibility.”

“I’m not a big fan of that.” Sara’s pretty sure Ava isn’t a fan of that option either.

“Or they can simply give you superhuman strength and enhanced senses. You would, of course, need to learn how to control your new found powers. But given your apparent level of intelligence, I don’t think that would be a problem.”

Alex nods, “I agree.”

+++++++++++++

“So, two doctors, a director and an assassin walk into a bar.”

“Babe, are you trying to telling a joke?” Ava chuckles, for as long as she known Sara, she has never ever heard Sara tell a joke.

The four woman stand in nearly the same spot they breached into no more than twenty-four hours ago. So much has changed for Sara and Ava in that short time. Sara has some things to explain to Ava, but that can wait for another time. Ava has the beginnings of her memory, Kelly saw to that. They met an alien, slept on a different Earth, and will leave here forever changed.

“We can’t thank you enough for all of your help.” Sara reaches out to shake Kelly’s hand but gets a hug from her instead.

“It was my pleasure. I’m glad I could help.” Kelly replies, then looking at Ava, “You have a strong foundation now, just remember to allow your mind time to adjust to the memories. Let them flow, it might take some time, but they are in you.”

Ava hugs her, “I will. Thank you.”

“Director Danvers,” Sara smiles. “It’s been a pleasure seeing you again. Tell your alien friend thanks as well. And let me know how Kara makes out with her situation.”

Alex opens the breach and with a wave Sara and Ava walk thru.

+++++++++++++

The breach closes behind them. Sara and Ava arrive back home to find the command center empty. The equipment is on, monitors are flashing the usual information, but no sign of Gary, Nicole or Waverly. It’s not really that unusual, they’re all probably just off attending to something. After all, they’ve only been gone a day but there was no way to let the team know when they’d be back.

Sara grabs her coms unit and hands Ava hers. They exchange a soft smile. “What?” Ava asks.

Sara grins, “Nothing.”

“I love you.” Ava whispers.

Sara pulls her close and kisses her, “I love you too.”

There’s a peacefulness in Ava’s eyes that Sara hasn’t seen before. After all they’ve been thru, all Ava has been thru, maybe now she can start to move forward with the knowledge that her past is still within her. It will take time for the information to settle. As those memories come back, Sara will be there for her, to support her and love her in their life together.

“Oh you’re back.” They hear Gary’s voice from across the room. “How did it go?”

“It went well,” Ava tells him. “We’ve got lots to tell you all.”

“Good, glad to hear. We’ve got something to tell you too.” Gary’s tone implies they might be in trouble, like the kids did something bad while the parents were out for the night kind of trouble. “We ah…”

“Spit it out Gary.” Just like that, Sara is back to her old grumpy self.

“We…” Nicole jumps in, “Ava, we found you father.”

“What? How? Are you sure?” Her response is a combination of surprise mixed with excitement mixed with disbelief.

“It was all Waves actually. She figured out that we had been looking in the wrong place this whole time.” Nicole tells them.

“Yeah, your parents weren’t in Finland, they were in Utah.” Waverly chimes in.

“Umm, wow that’s amazing. Good job, Waverly.” Sara pats her on the back.

“But wait. It gets better.” Gary adds.

“Yeah, we…well…we took the _WR2_ to Salt Lake City.” The hesitation in Nicole’s voice throws Sara off.

“Really?!” They can’t tell if Sara is mad or shocked or what she’s thinking.

“Please don’t be mad at Gary or Nicole. I talked them both into it. I just couldn’t sit here and do nothing any longer.” Waverly feels the need to defend their actions even though everything worked out fine.

“Okay.” Ava is waiting patiently for the rest of this story. She’s been in limbo about her parents for some time now. She can wait a few more minutes. “Go on.”

“We went to the University.” Nicole starts.

“But we didn’t find him there.” Waverly tags in.

“Gideon spotted him walking near the campus.” Nicole adds.

“So we followed him to a coffee shop nearby.” Waverly jumps in.

“We introduced ourselves and told him that we knew you.”

“He was happy to hear that.”

“And?” Sara wants Ava to be happy more than anyone else in the world, if anyone deserves to be, it’s her.

“And he wants to see you.” Waverly grimaces hoping that makes Ava happy. When no one speaks, she continues, “He’s upstairs, in your suite, right now.”

“And, my mother?” Ava’s heart jumps when it dawns on her that they’ve only been talking about her father so far.

Waverly reaches for Ava’s hand. “I’m so sorry Ava.”

+++++++++++++

A few weeks have passed since their trip to Earth-38. Ava’s memories have been slowly trickling back to her. Memories of her mother are the hardest to let come thru. Alice Traske died a few years after Ava/Anna left with Rip. She regrets that her father had to spend the last 15 years alone, but they are doing their best to make up for the lost time. They’ve moved him into the hotel, and Ava spends every minute she can with him, she will not lose anymore precious time with him ever again. She and Sara will have that commitment ceremony and Benson Traske will be there to give his daughter away.

Nicole and Waverly have decided that this isn’t the life for them. Waverly wants to have a family, and traveling across the temporal zone in a timeship is no way to raise kids. Besides, she has her own family history to uncover, and she truly misses her sister. Their wedding will be the talk of Purgatory, and their family, including the friends they’ve made here will be there to celebrate their special day. There’s a Sheriff’s position waiting for Nicole back home too, it’s what she’s been working towards since she was old enough to know that she wanted to be a cop. It’s where they belong.

Sara hands the last box up to Nicole as they finish packing up the moving truck. “I’m gonna miss you kid.” Sara bites back a tear.

“Me too Sara, but we’re just down the road in the next town, and we’ll see each other next week at your ceremony.” Nicole tells her, she’s fighting back a tear too.

“I know, it won’t be the same as having you both living here, but I understand, and you know you can always come back if you ever change your mind.”

They hug and then pretend not to be crying, always the tough ones.

Ava and Waverly walk arm in arm to the truck, “I can’t thank you enough for finding my father. Having him here has made me the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“You don’t need to thank me, seeing you all together, one big happy family, it warms my heart,” Waverly smiles. They share a hug and tears run down both their faces, they don’t pretend to be tough even though they are both incredibly strong.

Waverly climbs into the truck and Nicole joins her. Sara tells them, “Take care of each other. We love you guys.”

“We love you guys too.”

The truck pulls away as Sara and Ava wave good-bye and walk hand in hand back to their happy life.

A burst of light and sonic boom pierce the sky as the _WR2_ passes like a flash overhead.

Sara exclaims, “Damnit Gary.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you have made it this far, thank you for reading. This is my first multi-chapter fic and I'm having a blast writing it.


End file.
